Naturhistorisches Museum

What Naturhistorisches Museum does

The Natural History Museum of Bern (Naturhistorisches Museum Bern) is a public cultural and scientific institution owned by Burgergemeinde Bern, founded in 1832 and located at Bernastrasse 15, Bern, Switzerland. It operates permanent exhibitions (including the flagship 630 sqm 'Mensch, Erde! – Das Klima im Wandel' on climate change, 'Käfer & Co.', 'Tiere des Nordens', and 'Flossen-Füsse-Flügel'), rotates temporary exhibitions (e.g., 'Queer – Vielfalt ist unsere Natur', 'Insektensterben'), and curates one of Switzerland's most significant natural history collections spanning vertebrates, invertebrates, meteorites, and minerals.

The museum's underlying platform combines physical exhibition infrastructure with a digital museum offering (virtual tours, podcasts, online collection catalog, mobile games, video series) and a scientific research apparatus that includes the World Spider Catalog (~53,500 species), digitized tissue sample libraries (45,000 samples), and active international field research — notably the Frogs of Borneo project (40+ new species described). It is a node in the Museumsquartier Bern (12 institutions) and partners with University of Cambridge, GFZ Helmholtz-Zentrum, Swisstopo, and WWF Switzerland's One Planet Lab.

Revenue is generated through admission fees, ticket sales for events and workshops (e.g., Bar der toten Tiere at CHF 20–25, embroidery workshops at CHF 55, behind-the-scenes tours at CHF 10 add-on), venue rental, and bookable educational programs serving approximately 1,100 school classes annually, supplemented by Burgergemeinde public funding. Annual visitors reached 134,873 in 2025 and 146,860 in 2023. The museum serves general public visitors, families, school groups, the international research community, and adult cultural audiences via after-hours programming.

Name

Naturhistorisches Museum

Legal name

Naturhistorisches Museum Bern

Website

https://nmbe.ch

Company type

Private

Founded year

1832

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

The Natural History Museum of Bern (Naturhistorisches Museum Bern) is a publicly funded Swiss museum operating permanent and rotating exhibitions, a digital museum platform, and a global natural-history research practice (including the World Spider Catalog and the Frogs of Borneo project), serving the general public, school groups, and international researchers.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Natural History Museum

NAICS

Museums (712110), Museums, Historical Sites, and Similar Institutions (7121)

SIC

Services-Commercial Physical & Biological Research (8731)

akta.pro primary industry

Natural History Museums (THAJADAC)

akta.pro secondary industries

Science & Technology Museums (THAJADAD), Specialty Museums (e.g., Maritime, Aviation, Sports, Music, Film) (THAJADAF), Museums & Heritage Sites (History, Science, Specialty) (BPAGAHAA)

Keywords

• Natural history museum
• Scientific collections
• Biodiversity research
• Museum education programs
• Permanent and temporary exhibitions

Headquarters

HQ city

Bern

HQ country

Switzerland

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Museum Admission Fees: The museum generates revenue from visitor admission fees. Regular museum entry fees apply, with free admission for concert ticket holders for specific exhibitions.
2. Event and Venue Rental Revenue: The museum hosts special events including concerts (e.g., Patent Ochsner open-air series), the 'Bar der toten Tiere' evening event series, workshops, and private event bookings. Ticket sales for these events generate revenue, including a separate CHF 20 (advance) / CHF 25 (door) entry fee for the Bar der toten Tiere.
3. Workshop and Program Fees: Fees charged for workshops such as the embroidery course (CHF 55 including materials), guided behind-the-scenes tours (regular admission plus CHF 10 for adults, CHF 5 for children), and the book club (CHF 25 regular, CHF 20 reduced).
4. Ticketing Services: Online ticket sales are processed through Ticketpark GmbH's booking system. Tickets are sold for workshops, guided tours, and special events.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

The Naturhistorisches Museum Bern operates a public natural history museum combining permanent and temporary exhibitions, scientific research collections (vertebrates, invertebrates, meteorites, minerals), educational programs for schools and families, and cultural events. It maintains and grows internationally referenced scientific assets (e.g., the World Spider Catalog, Borneo amphibian studies, Twannberg meteorite collections) and delivers both on-site and digital experiences (virtual tours, podcasts, videos, online collection catalog).

Product overview

The Natural History Museum of Bern (Naturhistorisches Museum Bern / Musée d'histoire naturelle de Berne) operates as a multi-exhibition cultural and scientific institution offering both physical and digital experiences. The core product portfolio consists of permanent exhibitions including 'Mensch, Erde! – Das Klima im Wandel' (the flagship permanent exhibition on climate change), 'Käfer & Co.', 'Tiere des Nordens', and 'Flossen-Füsse-Flügel'. Supporting offerings include temporary special exhibitions, the 'Museum digital' digital platform (featuring virtual tours, podcasts, videos, online catalogs, and quizzes), educational programs for schools, and special events such as the 'Bar der toten Tiere' annual bar event, 'Drink 'n' Draw' drawing evenings, 'Wissen-Saft' lectures, and 'NMBE Leseratten' book club. The museum also conducts scientific research with collections used for international research collaborations.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Mensch, Erde! – Das Klima im Wandel (Earth, folks! – The Changing Climate) Flagship 630-square-meter permanent exhibition at the museum, taking visitors through Earth's history with a focus on human-made climate change. Features participatory voting stations and the 'Ways Out of the Climate Crisis' project, built in partnership with WWF Switzerland's One Planet Lab. Open to the general public and educational groups.
• Käfer & Co. – Die bunte Welt der wirbellosen Tiere (Beetles & Co. – The Colorful World of Invertebrates) Permanent exhibition showcasing the diversity of invertebrate animals, particularly insects and beetles, drawn from the museum's scientific collections. Target audience: families, school groups, and general public visitors.
• Tiere des Nordens (Animals of the North) Historical diorama-style exhibition (1942–1968) displaying animals from northern regions in their natural habitat settings, part of the museum's permanent offerings. Target audience: general public and school groups.
• Flossen-Füsse-Flügel – Der Werdegang der Wirbeltiere (Fins-Feet-Wings – The Development of Vertebrates) Permanent exhibition tracing the evolutionary development of vertebrate animals, showcasing specimens across different vertebrate classes. Target audience: general public, families, school groups and researchers.
• Museum digital (Digital Museum) Digital museum platform offering virtual exhibition tours, online collection catalog access, videos, podcasts, documentary films, and interactive quizzes, available anytime worldwide. Target audience: general public, school groups, and remote researchers.
• Schulprogramm (School Programs) Educational programs for school groups that include guided tours, curriculum-aligned workshops, and learning materials. Approximately 1,100 school classes visit annually. Target audience: primary and secondary school teachers and students.
• Führungen hinter die Kulissen (Behind the Scenes Tours) Special guided tours offering access to restricted areas of the museum including the wet collection, research labs, and storage facilities. Priced at regular museum admission plus CHF 10 adults / CHF 5 children. Target audience: general public, families, and enthusiast visitors.
• Bar der toten Tiere (Tierische Nächte) Annual nighttime event during the last week of December that transforms the museum into a bar with drinks, live music, and performances among the exhibits; celebrating its 10th anniversary in 2025. Priced at CHF 20 (advance sale) / CHF 25 (door), ages 18+. Target audience: adult visitors and culture enthusiasts.
• Drink 'n' Draw Adult drawing event held in the museum's skeleton hall, combining life-drawing sessions with museum specimens and artifacts in an after-work atmosphere. Target audience: adult visitors and culture enthusiasts.
• Wissen-Saft – Auf ein Glas mit... Educational event format combining drinks with storytelling about museum objects and animals, featuring guest speakers and historical narratives. Priced at CHF 25 regular / CHF 20 reduced / CHF 10 children. Target audience: general public and adult learners.
• NMBE Leseratten (Book Club) Twice-yearly book club meetings discussing books with scientific themes inspired by current exhibitions or research topics, featuring guest experts. Priced at CHF 25 regular / CHF 20 reduced per session. Target audience: adult learners and book enthusiasts.
• Präparateausleihe (Specimen Lending) Service that allows qualified borrowers to loan prepared animal specimens from the museum's collections for educational or research purposes. Target audience: schools, universities, museums and qualified institutional borrowers.
• Bibliothek (Library) Specialist natural-history library offering bibliographic resources for researchers and members of the public with an interest in natural history topics. Target audience: researchers, students, educators, and the general public.
• Partizipationsprojekt: Wege aus der Klimakrise (Ways Out of the Climate Crisis) Participatory voting program embedded in the Mensch, Erde! exhibition, where visitors use wooden balls to select themes and projects related to climate-crisis solutions, developed with WWF Switzerland's One Planet Lab. Target audience: general public, climate and transformation advocates, and partner organizations.
• Naturgeschichten Embroidery Workshop Practical workshop where participants create embroidered works inspired by natural history themes; priced at CHF 55 per session including materials, with maximum 10 participants per session. Target audience: adult learners and craft enthusiasts.

Quantifiable outcome

• 146,860 visitors in 2023 (second-best result in museum history)
• +6 more outcomes

Named customers7 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration6 records

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Eleven partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• One Planet Lab (WWF Switzerland)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 August 2025The One Planet Lab of WWF Switzerland is a core strategic partner in the museum's climate change exhibition 'Mensch, Erde!' and the participatory project 'Ways Out of the Climate Crisis.' The partnership provides financial support (CHF 2,500 audience prize), expert networks (Book Your Expert), and co-organizes events including the Climate Apéro. The partnership began with defining the four thematic priorities for the participatory project in August 2025.
• Museumsquartier BerncoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNMBE is one of twelve institutions forming the Museumsquartier Bern, a cultural quarter in Bern. The partnership involves joint events (summer festival, bat excursions), a shared urban development vision, and collective programming. In December 2025, a new urban development study was launched to shape the quarter's long-term future.
• University of CambridgecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerResearchers from the University of Cambridge collaborated with NMBE on a study examining palate morphology development in birds after hatching, analyzing 70 bird species representing all major groups of modern birds.
• GFZ Helmholtz-Zentrum (Germany)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe German GeoForschungsZentrum initiated and leads the DEBORAH deep borehole research project at Mont Terri. NMBE analyzes fossils from the borehole cores and contributes to the geological characterization of the Opalinus Clay formation for nuclear waste repository research.
• SwisstopocoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSwiss Federal Office of Topography (Swisstopo) is a partner in the DEBORAH deep borehole project at the Mont Terri rock laboratory, contributing to the geological and hydrogeological characterization of potential nuclear waste repository host rocks.
• Citizen-ConservationminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerNMBE participates in the international Citizen-Conservation project for the conservation breeding of the critically endangered Rio-Pescado stubfoot toad (Atelopus balios). Animals from Ecuadorian breeding centers are provided for ex-situ conservation, with NMBE housing 12 specimens.
• WWF SchweizcoreGTM or Marketing PartnerWWF Switzerland's One Planet Lab partners with NMBE for the 'Ways Out of the Climate Crisis' participatory project, providing the audience prize of CHF 2,500 and expert network access.
• Climate Alliance SwitzerlandminorGTM or Marketing PartnerPartner organization in defining the four thematic priorities for the participatory climate project, contributing to the museum's climate engagement outreach.
• Transition BernminorGTM or Marketing PartnerLocal Bern climate transition organization involved in co-defining the thematic priorities for the museum's participatory climate project.
• Wyss Academy for the EnvironmentminorGTM or Marketing PartnerEnvironmental research and action organization contributing to the thematic definition of the museum's participatory climate project.
• City of Bern Office for Environmental ProtectionminorGTM or Marketing PartnerMunicipal environmental authority of Bern participating in the co-definition of climate project themes at the museum.

Scale indicators11 records

Recent moves10 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Regional players

• Naturama Aarau: Smaller Swiss natural history museum serving the Aargau canton. Comparable as another Swiss publicly funded natural history museum, but smaller in scale, collections, and exhibition footprint than NMBE.
• Zoologisches Museum der Universität Zürich: University-affiliated natural history collection in Zurich with research and exhibition functions. Comparable as a Swiss institution combining natural history research collections with public-facing exhibitions, though primarily university-driven rather than municipally owned.

Broad incumbents

• Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History: Largest natural history museum globally with leading research programs in biodiversity, paleontology, and anthropology. Comparable in mission and collection-driven model, but vastly larger scale, federally funded, and serves a North American audience.
• Natural History Museum London: World-leading natural history museum with vastly greater scale, international visitor base, and research output. Comparable in core mission (natural history collections, exhibitions, research) but operates at an order of magnitude larger in attendance, budget, and global scientific reach.
• Muséum national d'Histoire naturelle Paris: France's flagship natural history institution combining research, exhibitions, and extensive collections. Comparable to NMBE in combining public-facing exhibitions with active biodiversity and earth science research, though at significantly larger national scale.

Direct peers

• Muséum d'histoire naturelle de Genève: Geneva's natural history museum with similarly broad zoological, geological, and mineral collections. Directly comparable as another publicly funded Swiss natural history museum serving a French-speaking urban audience.
• Naturhistorisches Museum Wien: Vienna's natural history museum with comparable collection breadth (geology, paleontology, zoology, anthropology) and research mission. Directly comparable European natural history museum of similar mid-large institutional size with both permanent and temporary exhibitions.
• Naturhistorisches Museum Basel: Another major Swiss natural history museum with comparable zoological, geological, and paleontological collections. Directly comparable in mission, public-institution status, and exhibition-driven revenue model within the same Swiss domestic market.
• Naturhistoriska riksmuseet (Swedish Museum of Natural History): Sweden's national natural history museum with extensive research collections in zoology and geology. Comparable in mission, public-institution ownership, and combination of research excellence with public exhibition programming.
• Museum für Naturkunde Berlin: One of Europe's leading natural history museums with major research collections in zoology, paleontology, and earth sciences. Comparable to NMBE in scientific mission, collection digitization programs, and biodiversity research output, though at materially larger scale.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/@nmbe
• Instagraminstagram.com/nmbern
• Facebookfacebook.com/nmbe.ch
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/naturhistorisches-museum-bern
• TikToktiktok.com/@nmbern
• Xx.com/NMBern

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles7 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Naturhistorisches Museum