Mineralogical Museum Hamburg
On an exhibition area of 550 m², the permanent collection of the Mineralogical Museum of the University of Hamburg provides an insight into the world of minerals, ores, precious stones, rocks and meteorites and uses an easily accessible exhibition concept. The scientific collections of the Mineralogical Museum are among the largest mineralogical collections in Germany, even if the Hamburg collection does not look back on as long a tradition as is the case at other older universities.
history
The mineralogical collections had originally been housed together with the other natural science collections in Hamburg in the Natural History Museum on Steintorwall since 1891 , but had to be relocated to the Mineralogical-Geological State Institute at Lübecker Tor in 1907 due to a lack of space. A mineralogical-geological museum was inaugurated there in 1910 by Senator Werner von Melle . In 1933 the exhibition collections came to Esplanade 1a. After the collections had been relocated during the Second World War , it was reopened here in 1950. Due to the building damage caused by the war, this building had to be abandoned later. The mineralogical collections finally came to the Mineralogical-Petrographic Institute, newly established in 1958, at Grindelallee 48. However, a public exhibition was not reopened until 1969. Due to the flood disaster of 1962 , the university's computer center was initially moved into the museum space. Only after the completion of the new data center in Schlüterstrasse were the premises available for their original purpose again.
Current situation
The Mineralogical Museum is located in the Grindelallee in the district Rotherbaum and only 200 m distance from the also the University of Hamburg belonging Zoological Museum removed. Due to a lack of staff, the permanent collection is only open to the public a few hours a week. Opening times are Wednesdays (10 a.m. to 6 p.m.) and Sundays (10 a.m. to 5 p.m.; except on public holidays). Admission is free. Larger groups have the opportunity to visit the museum outside of these times by appointment. The Mineralogical Museum Hamburg is supported and funded by the Association for the Promotion of the Mineralogical Museum eV The Sunday opening is currently guaranteed by the generous financial support of Aurubis AG Hamburg.
collection
The museum's mineralogical collections currently include around 90,000 objects, including around 50,000 minerals and more than 900 meteorites. Spread over two floors, the public collection presents around 1,500 mineralogical objects. These include unique exhibits such as the largest iron meteorite in a German museum, the 424 kilogram Gibeon meteorite from Namibia , or the world's largest antimonite crystals from Japan . Most of the permanent collection is dedicated to minerals. Other exhibition topics are meteorites, jewelery and precious stones as well as rocks. Minerals from famous mineralogical sites such as the Tsumeb Mine and the Erongo Mountains in Namibia, the manganese ore fields in South Africa or Mont Saint-Hilaire in Canada complete the exhibition. The museum attaches particular importance to a scientifically sound, but at the same time gallery-like exhibition concept. The exhibits are presented as works of art from nature. The museum visitor is presented with the beauty and uniqueness of the exhibits in artfully illuminated showcases. The largest natural history museum in the world, the American Museum of Natural History in New York, pursues a similar concept with its mineralogical department, whereas other museums often show systematic mineralogical exhibitions. During the opening of the museum on Wednesday between 2:00 p.m. and 5:00 p.m., visitors can have their own findings examined by experts free of charge. Gemstones, gemstones and pearls are also checked for authenticity for a fee.
photos
View of the exhibition
View of the exhibition
View of the exhibition
Lead gloss as an example of an exhibited object
Web links
- Mineralogical Museum Hamburg. In: museen.uni-hamburg.de. University of Hamburg, accessed on September 9, 2015 .
- Mineralogical Museum. In: cenak.uni-hamburg.de. University of Hamburg; CeNak Center for Natural History, accessed on September 9, 2015 .
- Association for the promotion of the Mineralogical Museum eV
Coordinates: 53 ° 33'58.9 " N , 9 ° 58'56.9" E