Natural Science Museum, Bratislava

The Natural Science Museum is focused on the research, documentation and presentation of the diversity and development of the living and non-living natural environment, in particular within Slovakia. It is a central methodological workplace with a nationwide scope. Through its collections (of approx. 2.4 million objects) it ranks among the most important natural science museums in Europe. The acquisition activities of the museum are focused primarily on the territory of Slovakia. Collections are provided to the professional public for scientific study and are presented to the general public by means of exhibitions, lectures, monographies, publication outputs in the professional and daily press, radio and television. The Natural Science Museum is seated in the main building of the SNM on the Vajanského nábrežie embankment no. 2.

The museum’s collection comprises mineralogy, petrology, palaeontology, anthropology, botany and zoology collections. The museum’s acquisition activities are oriented primarily on the territory of Slovakia; minerals from abroad are acquired in particular for the exhibition purposes and for comparative study. Particularly precious is the type and historical documentary material and also collections of significant scientists and collectors.Mineralogy and petrology collections (more than 23 000 pieces) are among the largest in Slovakia. The mineralogy collection includes a large number of rare minerals from Slovak and world locations, specimens from various locations from Slovakia and also a collection of gemstones and decorative stones. The petrology collection represents the varied rock composition of the Western Carpathian Mountains and study samples of European geological units.The palaeontology collection (approx. 360 000) is the largest collection of fossils in Slovakia. The most scientifically interesting is the collection of 1 256 specimen pieces. Among the most valuable collections are the discoveries of Neogene vertebrate from Devínska Kobyla, Pliocene terrestrial fauna from Hajnáčka, as well as exhibitory specimen of the so far most complete mammoth skeleton from Senec, or the discovery of a Triassic dinosaur foot-print in Slovakia. The anthropological collection keeps a record of almost 9 000 osteological remains from various Slovak locations. A rare feature is also the collection of more than 50 Neolithic skeletal findings, 3 Egyptian mummies, the metopic bone of Neanderthal and Late-Early Palaeolithic skull from the territory of Slovakia. The prevailing part of the botanical collection is formed by the largest herbarium collection in Slovakia, comprising more than 460 000 items from around the world. From historical collections the most important is the Herbarium of the monk Cyprian, from the 2nd half of the 18th century and the collection of Andrej Kmeť, containing more than 77 000 herbarium items. The zoological collection is the most numerous in Slovakia, comprising almost 1.5 million specimens (dermoplastic, skin, liquid and entomological preparations, osteological, oological material, a collection of bird eggs, etc.). The collection is divided into several separate units, of which the most extensive is the collection of invertebrates. From the scientific aspect the most important is the collection of specimen material.