Naturhistorisk Museum

The Natural History Museum in Aarhus is an independent Danish institution dedicated to researching and communicating the natural sciences. It is located on the campus of Aarhus University in the Midtbyen district and is run by a board that includes representatives of the university, the city, the Jutland Natural History Society, and the local business community. In addition to the main building, the museum operates the Molslaboratoriet in Mols Bjerge National Park on Djursland, which serves as a field laboratory and education center. Funding comes from contributions by the Ministry of Culture, the City of Aarhus, and the university, as well as from admission revenue.

The museum's history goes back to 1838, when the first collections were housed in the Cathedral School. After various transitions and restructurings in the early 20th century, driven by local entrepreneurs and the Jutland Natural History Society, the museum got its own building in 1941. It was designed by the architect C.F. Møller, who was also responsible for the university. Because the university initially had no science faculty of its own, the museum was founded with its own scientific department in order to provide laboratory space for researchers.

Today the museum houses the second-largest natural history collection in Denmark. Its holdings include mammals, birds, skeletons, animal tracks, springtails, mollusks, and corals. Only a small part of these extensive collections is on view in four permanent exhibitions and rotating special exhibitions. Most of the objects are used for ongoing research, which focuses on areas such as entomology, freshwater ecology, geobiology, fauna, and bioacoustics. The museum works closely with the university and schools to promote science education.