The Naturhistorisches Museum, Vienna's Natural History Museum, opened in 1889 and was built by the same architects that built the Kunsthistorisches Museum, Vienna's museum of art history.
Both museums are located on the Ringstrasse. Between them is a square known as Maria-Theresia-Platz, which contains a statue of Empress Maria Theresa.
Within the Naturhistorisches Museum you will find many archeological and anthropological exhibits, including the world's largest collection of skulls showcasing the evolution of the human race.
A section of the museum is dedicated to the four and a half billion year history of Earth and the life on it. It includes a display of the Earth and its atmosphere, and fossils from the Cambrian Era to the Cenozoic.
There is a large hall of dinosaurs.
An exhibit exploring the Earth's Ice Ages attempts to explain the connection between these glacial periods and the Earth's current climate and ecology.
Zoological displays include models of extinct or rare birds and mammals.
The museum houses a large collection of invertebrates.
Stone Age artifacts, including the famous Venus of Willendorf, one of the earliest known sculptures of a human being, can be fond here.
There are also exhibits showcasing works from the Bronze and Iron Ages.
The The Naturhistorisches Museum has one of Europe's most comprehensive collections of gems and minerals, as well as the world's largest collection of meteorites.
The museum's central cupola, which was designed by Johannes Benk, contains a bronze statue of Helios, the Greek god of the sun.
Visitors to the Naturhistorisches Museum museum can enjoy a beautiful view of Vienna from the museum's rooftop.