Today to the coolest museum for free?

It's not a holiday, and it's not a weekend either, so why is this weekend/holiday outing online today? For a very good reason! You might already know, but this is for those who don't: Every first Wednesday afternoon of the month, starting at 1:00 PM, you get free admission to the coolest, dead serious museum of Rotterdam: The Natural History Museum!

If that's not fun, we really don't know what is! And what's even more fun? We are going today!

But what can you see in this museum? It has a very large permanent collection—approximately 420,000 "samples" (or collection units)—which are used in exhibitions. The collection is also used in museum-based education programs, and it attracts considerable interest from researchers and those who produce publications. 

This is to highlight the museum's contributions and knowledge transfer, in addition to the enjoyment that average parents, children, and other interested people experience when the visit the permanent collection. You can also browse the permanent collection online. It's always a very interesting experience!

On display are very common or some truly extraordinary stuffed animals and/or their skeletons. Such as the skeleton of Ramon, the old elephant who lived for a long time in Blijdorp Zoo. But there are also a great many small(er) dead animals, with their unique stories.

There are fossils of ancient whales, for example—all sorts of things are preserved here. Preservation is a neat term for treating dead animals or their skeletons so they can be admired by us for many years to come and then contribute to our knowledge of them as well.

In the cabinet of Dr. A.B. van Deinse, you'll see the collection of a Rotterdam collector. It's immediately clear from the moment you step insidethis room that Dr. van Deinse didn't collect animal stamps. "What did he actually collect?" you might wonder. Just take a good look! Everything related to marine mammals and zoological curiosities. Such a collection is truly remarkable!

There are tons of the most beautiful shells, butterflies like you've probably never seen before and insects large and small. There are bones, skulls, and skeletons, as well as animals preserved in formaldehyde. Fossils, teeth, fossilized feces—it's too much to list and photograph for you.

But it's not just about looking around the museum; there's also plenty to do! The activities children can participate in aren't always the same, but they're always fun. And... there are always scavenger hunts, as well as special tours for kids. We'll take the brochures with us so we can take a look at home and see what activities are coming up shortly. 

For example, on October 27th, there's a guided fossil excursion on the Zandmotor. On October 4th (Animal Day), there's a really fun Children's Book Week lecture. You'll see lots of stuffed animals in the museum, but how does that actually work? On October 19th, you can see the museum curators at work on the public taxidermy day of 2025.