Secret Service: Women in Natural Sciences

2026-09-25 – 2027-10-31

Adventure Museum: Of caterpillars & butterflies - the colorful world of Sibylla Merian

2026-10-17 @ 10:00

Today we’re following in the footsteps of Maria Sibylla Merian. She lived in Frankfurt over 300 years ago and was a courageous woman, researcher, and artist! She studied insects and recorded her observations in drawings and prints. Today we’ll try our hand at that, too—after a short guided tour, we’ll head over to the “Merian Print Workshop.” Participation without a parent is allowed.

Expedition Museum: Blossoms & Foliage – Merian Print Workshop

2026-10-17 @ 12:00

Our special exhibition is all about female researchers right now! One of them was Maria Sibylla Merian, who lived in Frankfurt over 300 years ago. She was passionate about nature and observed insects very closely. As an artist, she captured her discoveries in paintings and prints. After a short guided tour, we’ll follow in her footsteps—in the “Merian Print Workshop,” we’ll get creative ourselves! Participation without a parent

Marvelous Mollusks and the Blueprint of Life – Experience Biology Up Close

2026-10-18 @ 14:00

with Dr. Lisa Männer and Sigrid Hof Today we’re taking a closer look at the second-largest phylum of animals on Earth! Who are we talking about? Snails, clams, and other mollusks. But what do these animals have in common? And why are even animals with hard shells classified as mollusks? Together, we’ll explore the fascinating diversity of shapes and species among mollusks under the microscope. We’ll also delve into the blueprint of life: DNA. What exactly is DNA? How does a…

Nature, of Course? Culture, of Course? A Cultural Studies Journey

2026-10-21 @ 18:00

with Mirjam Mautner We often perceive nature and culture as opposites. At the natural history museum, it seems perfectly clear what it’s all about: nature—of course! But as you walk through the rows of taxidermied animals, another thought occurs: Weren’t these also prepared and displayed by a human using tools and a great deal of artistic sensitivity? How much culture is there in a natural history museum? Join us on a cultural-studies and philosophical journey,…

In Search of the Philosopher's Stone – Secrets of Alchemy

2026-10-28 @ 18:00

with Dr. Gesa Poetzsch As Halloween approaches, science and magic seem to merge at the museum. Is gold glowing in the crucible, or is something more sinister hidden within the smoke and flames? In alchemy, the world consisted of more than just fire, water, air, and earth. Sulfur, mercury, and lead held secrets and the promise of complete transformation. Join us this evening as we step into the legendary alchemical laboratory and experience how the boundary between…

Maria S. Merian – Pioneer in Insect Research

2026-10-28 @ 19:30

Born in 1647, Maria Sibylla Merian was a leading figure in the field of natural history and the dissemination of scientific knowledge. Even as a teenager in her hometown of Frankfurt am Main, she was engaged in the study of insects, specifically silkworms she had raised herself. She was the first female researcher to systematically observe insects, document their diet and way of life, and describe their metamorphosis, which had been largely unknown until then. Due to her many years of…

Member tour: Inside Malacology - the mollusc collection

2026-10-29 @ 18:00

Malacology is the science of molluscs, which include snails, mussels and squid. These in turn are part of the invertebrates and, with a staggering 130,000 living species, form the second largest animal phylum on earth after the arthropods. The mollusc collection in our Department of Marine Zoology in Frankfurt is correspondingly species-rich and extensive. We invite our members to discover this extraordinary biodiversity.

Halloween Special: At night in the Senckenberg Museum

2026-10-30 @ 22:00

Sweets ... and dinosaurs! Once a year, fantastic creatures take over the museum - it's haunted and creepy everywhere. Our guides will lead you in mixed group tours with flashlights through the eerily decorated museum: Where did creepy creatures such as vampires and werewolves originate? Which monsters do we encounter in the sea? This flashlight tour can and may be spooky, participants should be able to distinguish between play and reality. Participation is limited to...

Secret Service: Women in Natural Sciences

2026-11-04 @ 18:00

with exhibition curator Maike Schlegel The special exhibition “Secret Service: Women in Natural History” highlights the diverse contributions of various women throughout history to the field of natural history. Some of them worked at the Senckenberg Society and helped ensure that the Natural History Museum can display such a wealth of artifacts today. Curator Maike Schlegel provides insights into the background of the exhibition’s design and the research project of the same name being conducted at the museum. Let’s go…

Senckenberg highlights

2026-11-08 @ 11:00

From fascinating marine habitats to biodiversity at high altitudes, from a glimpse into the past to exciting questions about the future: Our “Highlights” tour offers many interesting, entertaining, and perhaps even surprising stories and background information on selected exhibits such as the T. rex, fin whale, anaconda, and others. Please note: Accessibility cannot be guaranteed everywhere.

The Sapiens Clan—What Has Happened So Far

2026-11-11 @ 18:00

with Daniela Szymanski Paleoanthropology is a fascinating field, and new research findings about our ancestors are constantly emerging. In a brief tour through the “family album” of humankind at the museum, we’ll explore some of these research findings. We’d also like to use this as a thematic introduction to the Koenigswald Lecture taking place that same evening. This lecture is held annually in honor of Gustav Heinrich Ralph von Koenigswald (*Nov. 13, 1902 – ꝉJuly 10, 1982), the founder…

Exploring the Contexts of Homo floresiensis and Modern Humans at Liang Bua, Flores, Indonesia

2026-11-11 @ 19:30

Liang Bua, the site where Homo floresiensis was discovered, is a limestone cave on the Indonesian island of Flores. Its history spans from about 190,000 years ago to the present day and provides a long-term overview of the activities of early humans and their environment. New analyses of the site suggest that Homo floresiensis existed until about 50,000 years ago. Dr. Thomas Sutikna is co-director of the excavations in Flores, and in his lecture he will provide insights into…

Secret Service: Stories from the Archives

2026-11-11 @ 19:30

Traces of women can be found throughout the archives of the Senckenberg Society for Natural History: in photographs, field notes, letters, and working documents. And yet their names are often missing from the official histories of science. This lecture takes you on a journey behind the scenes of natural history research. You’ll meet women who preserved collections, facilitated research, and developed their own scientific areas of focus—even when their work was barely visible…

Our Senses on a Journey of Discovery—The World Inside Our Heads

2026-11-14 @ 14:00

with Dr. Anya Dietrich, Cooperative Brain Imaging Center Frankfurt (CoBIC), MEG Lab Why can our senses deceive us? How does the image of the world form in our minds? And do we all experience the same reality? Together with Dr. Anya Dietrich, we’ll embark on a journey of discovery through the fascinating world of our brain. Through exciting experiments and astonishing optical illusions, you’ll discover how our brain uses colors, sounds, and touch to create our picture of the world…