The secret life of the Naturmusée
30 Years in the Grund — Between Collections, Research and Discovery
What can DNA found in the air of a room reveal?
How can a specimen forgotten in a drawer for decades become a scientific discovery?
And what can a fossil millions of years old tell us?
To mark 30 years of the Naturmusée in the Grund, this new exhibition takes you behind the scenes of the museum.
Far beyond the display cases, discover the work behind the collections: how specimens are collected, preserved, studied and digitised — and how new technologies are now allowing them to tell stories that could not have been read when they were first discovered.
Nearly 3 million specimens are preserved at the Naturmusée. Some were collected more than a century ago. Today, thanks to genetics, microscopy, digitisation and new analytical methods, they can reveal previously unknown information.
Discover, among other things, how:
- environmental DNA can detect organisms without even seeing them;
- specimens that have remained in the collections for decades can reveal species that are new to science;
- genetics is helping to protect a rare plant in Luxembourg;
- fossil traces can give us new insights into extinct organisms;
- the Naturmusée’s collections are contributing to international scientific research.
An exhibition between past, present and future
The Naturmusée is much more than a place where objects are displayed. Its collections form a true archive of life — an archive that continues to be studied, enriched and reinterpreted.
The Secret Life of the Naturmusée invites you to look at the collections in a different way… and discover everything that happens behind the display cases.
The most surprising stories are waiting for you in the exhibition…
Discover the full programme and register online: