Discover the Maison de la nature

Published on July 9, 2024 at 4:00 pm

A visit to the House of Nature, known as "Haus der Nature" in German, will definitely appeal to budding scientists, or simply lovers of prehistory. It is one of the city's most popular museums, thanks to the wide variety of its exhibits.

Located in the centre of Salzburg, "Haus der Nature" offers a myriad of information on dinosaurs, underwater worlds, the human body, mechanics and the evolution of the Earth over an area of 7,000 m²**. History is covered from prehistory to the present day! The museum is designed to be interactive, offering visitors the chance to take part in scientific experiments using a variety of machines. So it's an ideal place for the whole family to learn while having fun. Who said that science was synonymous with boredom or seriousness?

Summary

A plunge into prehistory
The science centre
The aquarium and reptile zoo

A plunge into prehistory

You'll need several hours to take in the eight-storey museum. The main building houses the classic themes of natural history, as well as the zoo department.

The dinosaur replicas on display at the entrance to the museum always elicit a few exclamations of surprise from children. The section devoted to the Ice Age, in particular, is astonishing: did you know that many mammoths lived in the Salzburg region 18,000 years ago, and that the glaciers had profoundly transformed the topography of the area?

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The science centre

The second most important part of the museum is the Science Centre, which is located just after the glass staircase. This is the most interactive part of the Maison de la Nature, with numerous scientific experiments on physics, mechanics and aeronautics.

The museum's permanent exhibition, devoted to the human body, is also well worth a visit: for example, you can learn how sight, hearing and smell work. Huge scale models give you a better understanding of our anatomy. You can literally walk inside a human body!

The aquarium and reptile zoo

The highlight of the Maison de la Nature is its aquarium! With 38 display tanks, it features a wide variety of species from tropical coral reefs, the Mediterranean, the waters of Africa, South America, South-East Asia and local rivers and lakes. The natural habitats of each species have been reproduced as faithfully as possible, in order to preserve them as much as possible, as they are often threatened with extinction.

Further afield, animal lovers can continue their journey to the reptile zoo, home to numerous species including bearded dragons, beaded lizards and green mambas. Information panels explain the behaviour of alligators, venomous snakes, tortoises and iguanas.

by Jude JONES | Staff Writer

Jude Jones is a writer and editor from Manchester, England. He is currently pursuing an undergraduate degree in History and Modern Languages at the University of Cambridge. He has a keen interest in art, film and literature.

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