The Naturmusee, Luxembourg's national natural history museum, has reported that it has welcomed 48,813 visitors in just over 6 months.
The high numbers were thanks in part to an attractive temporary exhibition on felines, as well as the new permanent exhibitions since their reopening on 26 June 2017 (after being closed to the public for almost two years), which proved to be a great success with the public.
Added to this was the Science Festival in November which, like its previous editions, drew crowds to the Grund and the museum. Despite incessant rain, nearly 10,000 curious scientists were able to participate for four days in 58 workshops and 6 shows. Initiator and organiser of the biggest science festival in Luxembourg since 1995, the National Museum of Natural History alone managed 13 workshops, most of which took place in the new exhibition space of the museum.
Of the 48,813 visitors to the museum, 11,111 youth and adults were able to take advantage of the museum's extensive educational activity programme by participating in group visits, with school classes or by registering for one of the activities of the Panda Club, Science Club taking place at the museum. But again, the closing of the permanent exhibitions during the first months of the year prevented the service from running at full speed. A lot of educational activities had to be done offsite.
However, activities aimed at the public did not stop there. During 2017 the museum and its various services organised a range of other educational and awareness activities outside the museum. Taking into account guided tours for school classes "Mam Museum of Natur" (1,303 participants), discovery visits made by the two mobile spaces of the museum (Natur Mobil and Science Mobil with 10,873 participants) as well as activities organised outdoors, the National Museum of Natural History has directly reached 61,980 people.
2018
Following the renovations, all floors of the Naturmusee are again fully accessible. On the occasion of the European Year of Cultural Heritage the exhibition "(Un)expected Treasures" will bring together unique objects and specimens from the collections of State cultural institutes. Presented from April 2018, this exhibition will offer the opportunity to discuss Luxembourg and its cultural heritage also through a reflection on the management practices of the latter and to understand the social and cultural contexts in which the objects register.
The Rock Fossils temporary exhibition in June and July will be dedicated to the secret love between paleontology and rock music. Organised in Neimënster, it will take place jointly with the OMNI festival and will undoubtedly be welcomed by all music lovers.
From October the exhibition "Otherworlds" will explore the beauty of our solar system and demonstrate that the visual legacy of six decades of space exploration is an important chapter in the history of photography. Created by artist, curator and author Michael Benson, the 70 images on display will be a breathtaking link between art and science.
