Permanent exhibitions

There are billions of living, breathing, scurrying creatures – but what's common in all of them? The relationship. An invisible link connecting all lifeforms on Earth. We are shaped by the same evolutionary forces, we are built of the same material, we work on the same principles. Natural selection shaped humanity, and continues to shape us to this present day. This is the root of such diversity. Take a stroll under the terrifying jaws of a now extinct shark, be part of mammoth hunt in the grasslands, rest in the most charming forests of Hungary, get a birds eye view of the most beautiful places and creatures of the country! Learning of nature helps us to understand the importance of biodiversity conservation. The Hungarian Natural History Museum, as an institution dedicated to research and conservation of biodiversity, created its new permanent exhibition, Colourful LIFE, responding to a long expressed public desire. The exhibition pays due respect to the richness and diversity of Life,  the biological diversity on which human life depends as well. The manifold landscapes and the species richness of natural habitats are shown with hundreds of original, conserved specimens, several life-sized replicas and spectacular photos, while a few examples display the genetic variability of different species. On our “expedition” on the Hungarian countryside, we can get to know and understand the geological and evolutionary processes playing a key role in the development of the habitats of today and the plant and animal species living there.

This exhibition introduces us to a world of which only a select few (such as small mammals and birds) survived the storms of Earth's history. Scientific sensations, real rarities and Hungarian dinosaurs take the stage at this exhibition. Body replicas, full skeletons, original fossils and a new, interactive digital exhibit, never before introduced in a Hungarian museum, await curious visitors. Enter the museum's Iharkút-Park! Crossing the bridge over an ancient river, you can witness a now extinct crocodile, the Iharkutosuchus, crawling out of the water. This extraordinary view is made truly unforgettable by the other animals of the riverside swamp: Hungarosaurus tormai, reaching 4 metres, the 2 metre long herbivore, Rhabdodontida, and a turkey-sized, feathered dinosaur, Pneumoraptor fodori. A gigantic, flying reptile with a 6 metre wingspan, the Bakonydraco galaczi, is prowling above the cretaceous marsh. All the original reptile and dinosaur fossils found at the Iharkút site are displayed at the exhibition, while the full scale replicas bring these once lived creatures to life. The full skeleton of Hungarosaurus and Pneumoraptor, as well as the skull reconstruction of Ajkaceratops – considered a breakthrough discovery – can be seen for the first time. The dinosaurs displayed  were featured in Nature, the highest ranking scientific journal, along with their finder and discoverer, Attila Ősi. Those wanting to take a broader look into the mysteries of palaeontology can try themselves at a real excavation site, the luckiest ones can even uncover some real dinosaur fossils!

We invite you to a field trip through space, time and imagination! Enter our exhibition and take a look at our display cases featuring some 2000 specimens. You can glance at intriguing minerals such as those that make up your common household items, and those that make up the moon, all for the price of a museum ticket. If these past 470 million years were not enough, however, you could see a 3 billion year old piece of the oldest part of the Earth's cortex, and finally,  if you are in the mood for time travel, you can examine some extraterrestrial “guests”, our meteorites, more than 4.5 billion years old, the same age as the Solar System.
Those with an eye for small things can take a look at our specimen in the few millimetres range, which contains zircon crystals aged more than 3 billion years. Those who prefer to gaze as something much larger are welcomed by “Grandpa”, the smoky quartz crystal weighing 136.5 kg. The natural beauty of several minerals and the charm of cut gemstones await those looking for aesthetic pleasures, from the “common” tumbled stones to the replica of the most beautiful diamond of the British Crown Jewels. Those interested in our past can take a peek at the sometimes troubled history of our museum through selected specimens from our 200 years old collection.  Minerals “luminescent” in UV light offer some spectacle even in darkness.
Contents of the exhibition:
Room I
Minerals: – Importance, uses and properties. – Exhibition of mineral classification – Large size minerals – Mineral colours – Shapes of minerals (crystallography exhibition)
Room II
Rocks: – The three main types of rocks, their origin and types – Cabochons – Circulation of rocks – Hungary's and Earth's oldest rocks
Meteorites: – Their origin and types – Biggest meteorites of the museum
Room III
Joseph Arnóth gemstone exhibition: – Types of gems – Gemmology basics – Differently cut gemstones
Selected specimens from the collection's past
“Luminescent minerals” (exhibition of minerals fluorescent in UV light)

A magical world is to be seen 60 cm deep under the museum's 122 m2 glass floor. The exhibition visualises the main types and biodiversity of coral reefs: from the fringing and platform reefs of the shallow waters in the Indo-Pacific region, through the barrier reefs, to the deeper seas. Different communities live in the intertidal zones and in the protected barrier reef lagoons next to the shores. Some species dwell on flat surfaces, others on the steep rock walls. Among the more than 200 species of coral live 160 fish, and more than 1000 snails, clams, crustaceans, worms, sea urchins and starfish give a taste of Earth's most diverse biome.  Living fish and corals can be seen in fishtanks built into the walls, containing 13,000 litres of water