BIOTOPIA – Naturkundemuseum Bayern is a flagship project that benefits all of Bavaria. The concept is not limited to BIOTOPIA itself but will support a comprehensive and innovative network for the life sciences and natural sciences, which connects museums, educational institutions and research facilities throughout Bavaria.
MUSEUMS
NATURAL HISTORY NETWORK BAVARIA
The four regional museums of the Bavarian Natural History Collections in Bamberg, Bayreuth, Eichstätt and Nördlingen form the backbone of the future network. After initiating the Natural History Network Bavaria the museums successfully expanded their educational activity as well as their research work. They further benefit from improving the collaboration with the Museum Man and Nature and the State Collections and from initiating joint projects.
EXPANDING THE ACTIVITIES
With BIOTOPIA, this network will be strengthened and extended further. This includes joint communication and advertising activities as well as cooperation projects bringing together educational institutions and research facilities.
UNIQUE FOCUS AREAS
Another central aspect of the future network is the integration of additional partners. Each member will be developed as a destination with its own unique themes, making Bavaria’s groundbreaking research and stunning natural history come alive.
VOICES FROM THE NETWORK
PROF. DR. GERHARD HASZPRUNAR
Member of the BIOTOPIA Advisory Board
General Director of the Bavarian Natural History Collections
DR. MATHIAS MÄUSER
Director of the Naturkunde-Museum Bamberg
PROF. DR. STEFAN HÖLZL
Director of the Rieskrater-Museum Nördlingen
FURTHER PARTNERS
Museums are not the only potential partners for the network. Likewise, educational institutes and research facilities play an essential role. Among others, this includes ecological educational centres, environmental centres, national parks, zoos and botanical gardens. Beyond that, the network offers cooperations to schools, community colleges, universities, research facilities and State departments as well as to private initiatives and organisations.
In this extended state all network members and partners have a joint objective: To inspire engagement with the bio-, geo- and environmental sciences and foster awareness for sustainability and issues of environmental and nature protection.
SCHOOLS
New methods, excursions, trainings
Bavaria’s 6.138 schools will benefit from the network as well: This includes teaching materials, courses for teachers, or even the joint development of new ways of teaching and learning about natural sciences.
There will further be offers for schools which encourage visits to the Bavarian museums, the many environmental centres as well as visits to Munich.
RESEARCH
Collaboration and Public Outreach
BIOTOPIA and the network will provide academic partners, including the Bavarian Natural History Collections and the Ludwig-Maximilians-University in Munich, with a platform to present current research to the public. Cooperations for research projects and applications are equally possible.
Beyond that, the network serves as contact for communicating research in the sense of public outreach.
NATURE-CULTURE-QUARTER
Together, the Nymphenburg Palace, the Palace Gardens, the Botanical Gardens and BIOTOPIA – Naturkundemuseum Bayern will provide a unique gateway to an integrated natural-cultural experience in one place. These institutions will develop a connected Nature-Culture-Quarter that will have lasting benefits for visitors – the area will thus help to create a “museum without walls”, where the museum visit can be combined with active experiences and observations in natural surroundings.