Free Choice Vienna: Natural History Museum


We all know Maria Theresia, but today I wanted to bring up her husband Franz Stephan. He was big into collecting and he was big into science. He collected rocks, artifacts, gems, Fossils, meteorites, and more. Once he died, One of our professors explained that  Maria wished to open up his collection to the people,  which was an uncommon practice as far as I am aware. The current building was later  established in 1889, My favorite thing was the rock collection! Never before have I seen rocks that are purple and bulbous, or slated and spiky, or even neon green. It was glorious. I also loved the dinosaur section because the room was specifically made for fossils, so the statues circling the room were holding fossils! Finally I thought the collection of Hyoid bones from the human sciences section were mega cool because that relates to my major! At the end of the day, the part that impressed me the most was how vast the whole museum was

This huge collection of knowledge is so important because it is literally a giant collection of knowledge and history. From what I remember learning, this museum is one of the first of its kind that contained such a large magnitude of artifacts.  It not only preserves scientific discovery, but inspires interest in natural history. It set the stage for many more scientific exploration and also provided a demand for such discoveries which I would assume, helps to provide funding. It also started as a personal collection that was later  open to the public. This is historically important because it shows the idea of moving away from the idea that only royals can experience culture. It is important that the people have access as well.  

I also noticed that many of the artifacts came from all over that world. This shows that this museum is a literal hub for not only the science of Austria, but a collected source of knowledge across the world. This provides a sense of cultural richness that all cultural capitals need. It can also be a place where culture can be shared as people come to learn from the collections housed there. Finally it shows that Austria and Vienna in specific, is involved in contributing to knowledge in a wide variety of fields such as natural, human, and geological sciences. Cultural capitals not only show off the culture they house, they must also show that they produce it. 


https://museums.eu/museum/details/369/museum-of-natural-history-vienna 

Comments

  1. Theresa BellJune 3, 2024 at 9:15 PM

    Every post you write is a blessing to my eyes Anna! I totally agree with your thoughts about the collection being important because it's a vast collection of knowledge and history! It's so special. Collecting and cataloging knowledge certainly helps preserve and develop culture, so it makes sense that it shapes cultural capitals!

    ReplyDelete
  2. EleaseJune 3, 2024 at 10:13 PM

    I love this blog post Anna! I agree that there is so much to learn about Vienna by their natural history museum. Something that I noticed is that it shows how scientific and interested in discovering things in Austria. I love that you mention that Austria is a hub for these artifacts.

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  3. Sophie CandlandJune 11, 2024 at 7:11 PM

    Great post, Anna! I enjoyed reading this blog as your choice instead of the magic flute! I totally agree about how there is so much to learn about a city, in this case Vienna, just by their natural history museum. All of the artifacts and topics covered in this museum each have something to add to the city, which I think is really cool!

    ReplyDelete
  4. Meg KiehlJune 14, 2024 at 10:04 AM

    Anna, I liked this post of the Natural History Museum and specifically, Fran’s Stephan’s huge collection of rocks. I think it’s cool that his wife wanted to display this for everyone to see. The Natural History Museum is an example of how Vienna holds science and history in high esteem and want it to be available for all to see which contributes greatly to it being a cultural capital.

    ReplyDelete
  5. ellie robertsJune 19, 2024 at 6:29 AM

    I agree that Vienna's Natural History Museum offers profound insights into the city. It's clear that the museum reflects Austria's deep-rooted scientific curiosity and commitment to exploration. I appreciate your observation about Austria's role as a focal point for these artifacts.

    ReplyDelete

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