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The Meteorite Collection of the Natural History Museum Vienna

Austria

The Meteorite Hall (Hall V) of the Natural History Museum Vienna – The world’s largest meteorite exhibit [photo by Kurt Kracher-NHMW].

The Meteorite Hall (Hall V) of the Natural History Museum Vienna – The world’s largest meteorite exhibit [photo by Kurt Kracher-NHMW].

Housing institution

Natural History Museum Vienna

Location

Burgring 7, A-1010 Vienna, Austria
48°12’18.48″ N, 16°21’33.82″ E

Homepage

https://www.nhm-wien.ac.at/en

The Meteorite Hall (Hall V) of the Natural History Museum Vienna – The world’s largest meteorite exhibit [photo by Kurt Kracher-NHMW].

The oldest and one of the most important meteorite collections in the world is featured in the world’s largest meteorite exhibit.

  • Geo-collection description

The meteorite collection of the Natural History Museum Vienna is the oldest (dating back from the year 1778) and one of the largest meteorite collections in the world, with currently (as of February 2024) over 10,825 catalogued objects (i.e., 8,092 specimens and 2,733 thin sections and polished mounts), which represent about 2,600 different meteorites.
The Meteorite Hall (Hall V) of the Natural History Museum Vienna contains the largest meteorite display in the world, with about 1,100 meteorite specimens on display (including 650 different meteorites, consisting of about 300 falls and 350 finds). It was thorough renovated and modernized in 2012, and is one of the highlights of the Natural History Museum Vienna.
In the last decade the meteorite collection was reorganized according to modern standards and a digital database was implemented. In addition, a number of new, some of which extremely rare, meteorite specimens were added to the collection and to the display in the Meteorite Hall, including the most recent falls and finds. The meteorite collection is accessible to a wide variety of audiences, the general public via the Meteorite Hall, and specimens are made available to the international community to carry out world-class scientific research.

  • Geo-collection value

The meteorite collection is unique not only because of its long history but also because of its exceptional scientific value and its accessibility. A number of specimens of the collection contributed to a significant scientific advancement, such as the original specimens on which Alois von Widmanstätten performed in 1808 his experiments and discovered the “Widmanstätten pattern”. A number of type specimens and main masses of meteorites are represented and a large number of specimens were used by scientists worldwide and are featured in scientific publications. It has the longest history of all meteorite collections, dating back from the year 1778, with the 39 kg iron mass from Hraschina and the 2.8 kg stone from Tabor being the founding pieces of the collection. Owing to the efforts and scientific interest in meteorites of Carl von Schreibers and his successors, the collection became the largest and most extensive in the course of the 19th century. New specimens continue to be added today to the collection mainly via acquisition, donations, classification, and dedicated field campaign search. The Meteorite Hall features the world’s largest meteorite exhibit and is visited by a wide variety of audiences and used for various types of outreach activities.

Display of some of the largest iron meteorite specimens of the collection, including the world famous Hraschina and Cabin Creek meteorites [photo by Kurt Kracher-NHMW].

Display of some of the largest iron meteorite specimens of the collection, including the world famous Hraschina and Cabin Creek meteorites [photo by Kurt Kracher-NHMW].

  • Reference
  1. Brandstätter F. 2006. History of the meteorite collection of the Natural History Museum of Vienna, in McCall G.J.H., Bowden A.J., and Howarth R.J. (eds.), The History of Meteoritics and Key Meteorite Collections: Fireballs, Falls and Finds. Geological Society, London, Special Publications, 256, 123–133, https://doi.org/10.1144/GSL.SP.2006.256.01.06.
  2. Brandstätter F., Ferrière L., and Koeberl C. 2013. Meteoriten: Zeitzeugen der Entstehung des Sonnensystems / Meteorites: Witnesses of the origin of the solar system. Edition Lammerhuber, Verlag des NHM. 267 p. ISBN 978-3-901753-43-5.
  3. Koeberl C., Brandstätter F., Harzhauser M., and Riedl-Dorn C. 2018. History and importance of the geoscience collections at the Natural History Museum Vienna, in Rosenberg G.D. and Clary R.M. (eds.), Museums at the Forefront of the History and Philosophy of Geology: History Made, History in the Making, Geological Society of America Special Paper 535, 131–161, https://doi.org/10.1130/2018.2535(09).
  4. Partsch P. 1843. Die Meteoriten oder vom Himmel gefallenen Steine und Eisenmassen im k.k. Hof-Mineralien-Kabinette zu Wien. Verlag von Kaulfuss Witwe, Prandel & Comp. 162 p.
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