Natural History Museum Freiburg
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Freiburg im Üechtland , Switzerland 
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| opening | 1823 |
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The Natural History Museum of Friborg was founded in 1823 with the task of promoting an understanding of natural science issues among the general public and promoting the protection and preservation of the natural treasures of the canton of Friborg. It conserves the canton's scientific collections and serves as a regional competence center for questions of flora , fauna and nature conservation . The Natural History Museum Freiburg is bilingual (German and French) and regularly organizes exhibitions, lectures, handicraft afternoons for children and other activities.
The Natural History Museum is located in Freiburg at the end of the Boulevard de Pérolles, about 1 km from the city center, in the building of the University of Freiburg (Faculty of Natural Sciences) and near the engineering school.
history
In 1823, the canon Charles-Aloyse Fontaine bequeathed his important collection of scientific objects to the public sector, thus creating the material basis for a museum. This was initially housed in the building of the St. Michael College in the city of Freiburg. In 1897 the museum moved to its current location in the Pérolles district, where it has since shared the premises with various institutes of the Faculty of Natural Sciences at the University of Freiburg. Since its inception, the various collections have continuously expanded and diversified through donations from near and far and through acquisitions.
Collections
Botany and mycology
The Natural History Museum has herbaria and a larger collection of freeze-dried mushrooms in its collection on botany and mycology . One of the most important herbaria with 20,000 specimens from the canton of Friborg is that of Firmin Jaquet. The inventory of the herable can be consulted on the Internet.
Earth sciences
The mineralogical collection includes numerous crystals from the Alpine region , meteorites and boulders , some of which can be seen in the vicinity of the museum. The museum is also home to the well-known “Baumhauer” collection with the minerals from Lengenbach ( Binntal ).
The paleontological collections include fossils from the surrounding area such as the fossilized thorax of a manatee from the Mediterranean molasse as well as fossils from all over the world such as Orthaconthus, a shark with an age of 260 million years, as well as some valuable reference pieces such as the primeval amphibian Raumbachia, a roof spoiler that still has many of the characteristics of a fish.
In the geology room , a relief of the Aletsch Glacier from 1916 shows how far this glacier had once advanced.
zoology
The zoological collections mainly include animals from the region, the beetle collection is particularly mentioned. Some valuable and rare collector's items from around the world are the naturalized young sei whale (the only one in the world), the egg of the extinct giant bird Aepyornis from Madagascar , a Siberian tiger , bonobos and an orangutan .
Exhibitions
Special exhibitions
The museum has been organizing five to six special exhibitions a year since 1976. In 2007 and 2008 the following exhibitions were shown:
- Croco & Co (May 2007 - January 2008)
- Notepad, mesh and magnifying glass. Friborg natural scientist brought to light (June 2007 - October 2007)
- Himalayas of Nepal. People, crystals, handicrafts (November 2007 - March 2008)
- MusOeufs FrEiburg (February 2008 - March 2008)
- Plants of the Pre-Alps (April 2008 - September 2008)
- mini MAXI Beaux-Arts (June 2008)
- Movement (photo competition) (June 2008 - September 2008)
- Dino, Mammouth & Co. (October 2008 - February 2009)
- Mouse weasel and ermine (November 2008 - April 2009)
Permanent exhibitions
The permanent exhibitions include the following sections:
- mineralogy
- Geological history
- geology
- Animals in the canton of Friborg
- General zoology . This exhibition includes a part with vertebrates and one with invertebrates. One room is specifically dedicated to birds and their development (from scales to plumage), another to fish , amphibians and reptiles . Live fish can also be seen.
Scientific projects
The museum supports various scientific projects to preserve the natural heritage and to raise awareness of nature conservation among visitors. The "Plants of the Pre-Alps " project aims to study these plants, arouse interest in them and develop ways of protecting them. The project of tracking bird migration via satellite provides information about the way of life of the birds equipped with transmitters ( white stork , red kite ), their migration routes and the dangers to which they are exposed. Interested Internet visitors are constantly informed about new developments in connection with the birds; those who register will also receive the information via e-mail.