Naturalis Biodiversity Center | Museum en onderzoek in Leiden Overview & Contact Data

Naturalis Biodiversity Center is a national natural history museum and research institute based in Leiden, the Netherlands. The organization brings together public exhibitions, scientific collections, and research activities under one roof, making it a destination for visitors who want to explore biodiversity, evolution, conservation, and the natural world. The museum presents nature through displays, educational programs, and accessible explanations that connect everyday curiosity with serious scientific work. Its role in the Netherlands is both cultural and scientific, offering a place where families, students, school groups, nature enthusiasts, and researchers can engage with the richness of life on Earth. The center is notable for combining a working museum with active research groups that study biodiversity, species diversity, ecosystems, and the threats facing natural habitats. Researchers use Naturalis’s extensive biological collections as a reference for conservation, taxonomy, genetics, and environmental science, while museum halls also provide a visible link between the public and the people studying nature. That mix of open museum spaces and research-oriented activities helps explain why the site regularly draws strong visitor numbers and has been associated with breaking visitor records. The focus is not only on exhibiting specimens, but on using collections and research to inform conservation, environmental policy, and public understanding of biodiversity. For readers searching for a nature museum in the Netherlands or a biodiversity research center in Leiden, Naturalis offers a broad range of content about exhibitions, research themes, collections, education, and conservation. It serves a wide audience, from casual museum visitors and children learning about animals and plants to scientists, educators, and organizations working on nature conservation. The website functions as an entry point for learning about the center’s programs, scientific work, and the broader mission of understanding and protecting the natural world.