[Translated by eTranslation]

The Natural History Museum Vienna takes its 150th anniversary as an occasion for a critical review of history and illuminates the topic of "collecting once and now" in a large anniversary exhibition.

"In this show, we will therefore not only present the huge value of the growing collections for research – evolutionary research, deposit studies, agriculture, health, for example – but also discuss the critical aspects of the collections. We also want to illustrate how science has changed over the course of human history." One of many examples of this is: "Once you cleaned as much pikobello as possible, dinosaur bones as well as the Venus of Willendorf, today you are happy about the original 'dirt and dirt' on the objects such as earth or rubella remains, because they contain so much additional information that we can only tap into today," says Director General Dr. Katrin Vohland in her welcoming words.

Depending on the perspective, a collection object is sometimes materially valuable and at the same time of little scientific interest. Conversely, an inconspicuous, tiny excavation material can be a world unique, the loss of which cannot be outweighed in money.

This ambivalence, manifested in the NHM Vienna and its collections, is the leitmotif of the exhibition "Good Collecting – Evil Collecting. 150 Years of the Natural History Museum Vienna", which will be opened on 28 April 2026, as the curators Univ.-Prof. Dr. Mathias Harzhauser, Director of the Geological-Paleontological Department, DDr. Martin Krenn, Director of the Archives of the History of Science and Dr. Stefanie Jovanovic-Kruspel held an entertaining interview with Dr. Andreas Kroh, Deputy Director General and Director of the Digital Media and Publications Department.

The most important object of the house's collection and at the same time one of the most famous archaeological finds in the world is the approximately 29,500-year-old Venus von Willendorf. It was found on 7 August 1908 during excavations of the K. and K. Natural History Court Museum in Willendorf in the Wachau region of Lower Austria. The 11-centimetre-high female figure, dyed with rubella, was discovered while carefully examining a finding horizon.

To this day, boxes full of findings from the various excavation layers lie dormant in the museum's deep reservoir. The first well-documented Paleolithic figure soon became an icon of Paleolithic art. Recent analyses revealed the possible origin of the raw material and the production process of the sculpture. The Venus of Willendorf and other Paleolithic figures reflect a communication network throughout Europe, from France to Russia, as Dr. Walpurga Antl-Weiser, former research associate of the Prehistoric Department and author of a brand new publication on the wife of W., together with Dr. Caroline Posch, the current curator of Venus of Willendorf, explained.

By participating in the fundraising gala, the guests made a contribution to the realization of the anniversary exhibition, but also to the research of the excavation materials, which came to light during the discovery of the Venus figurine and have not yet been processed.
 
Seat and table buyers as well as supporters of the gala evening were: the Association of Friends of NHM Vienna, e-compact, MAGMAG, PKE, Kling Wagenhofer, Schako, SynCare, Riegler Riewe, Schuberth and Schuberth ZT, Wilczek Estate Management, MF Mediate Systems, foodaffairs, Wein & Co, Atelier Branch, Erco Lightning GmbH, bereal I immobilien, VerCon, HS Art, ASZ Centre for Occupational Health and Safety and Vasko+Partner.

Here you will find: 

• The new Venus publication
• Pictures of the evening