The first exhibition of minerals and fossils took place at the Munich Paleontological Museum in 1843. Today, entire collections of fossils and archaeological finds from all over Bavaria are housed here. The museum features an extensive exhibition of the remains of ancient animals and plants.
Of particular significance among all these treasures is the skeleton of Archaeopteryx — an extinct bird of the Late Jurassic period, the ancestor of modern birds. Also at the Paleontological Museum, you can see the remains of an ancient elephant.
Special stands have been installed in the halls where you can read about alternative and new theories of the origin of life on Earth and about how exactly scientists are trying to learn about it. The museum's specialists continue to conduct numerous excavations and research projects, thus enriching both the collection holdings and the "store of knowledge" of the staff and visitors of the paleontological museum.
