Biology Centre/Upper Austrian State Museums

The Biology Centre collects, retains, researches, documents and mediates knowledge about the animal and plant world, rocks and minerals. The greatest current challenge to this is the global biodiversity crisis. The study of nature in order to be able to protect it effectively and creation of nature consciousness are the logical reactions to it. Only natural history museums with their authentic objects make natural history scientifically and objectively comprehensible.

The natural history collections have their origin in the founding year of the Upper Austria Provincial Museum in 1833.

At the beginning of the collection’s activities, a “Noah’s Ark” was at the focus of interest; the collection’s goal was based primarily on practical aspects and covered among others parasites, weeds and abnormalities of nature.

Not until later was the scientific value of collections, including their observation data recognized.

In the 19th century honorary curators provided for the development and preservation of the collection; with the appointment of a trained natural scientist in 1914, the foundation for managing a professional collection was laid.

The separation into several departments and detachment of the earth sciences were not carried out until years later. The subsequent division of the biological collections into vertebrates on the one hand and botany and invertebrates on the other hand, were justified for personnel reasons.

Not until 1974 was the botany/invertebrate collection complex separated; later, in 1992, the invertebrate collection was split into entomology and other invertebrates.

In 1993 the biological collections moved from the Museumstr. to the newly opened