Museum am Schölerberg

The new Museum am Schölerberg, which opens in April 2023, offers a unique combination of natural history museum, environmental education center and planetarium. In a lifelike carbon forest with objects, some of which are unique in the world, extinct animals are brought back to life using modern technology such as augmented reality.

The new permanent exhibition recreates life in the Osnabrück region as it was around 308 million years ago. It also shows the development of life from the birth of our planet to urban models of the future, offering an exciting mix of unique exhibits, modern technology and interactive stations in five themed areas: Astronomy, Water, Forest, Open Land and Urban Life. You can explore the elaborately recreated habitats in real life with your eyes, ears and hands or virtually with VR glasses. The Sigillaria, the root of a seal tree, is one of the largest plant fossils in the world. Found on the Piesberg in 1886, it is around 307 million years old and one of the museum's greatest treasures. The museum garden is ideal for observing nature, picnics or simply putting your feet up.

The Museum am Schölerberg will also be offering its Sunday tours through the new permanent exhibition in sign language from February 2024. In future, hearing-impaired people will also be able to take part in the tours and learn more about the contents of the exhibition.
 
The planetarium can be visited independently of the museum. It is equipped with modern 360° full-dome technology and a 100 square meter projection screen. The planetarium offers a varied program ranging from classic star shows to colorful children's and music shows to informative expert lectures.

In March 2025, the Museum am Schölerberg was awarded the renowned museum seal of approval for the third time in a row. The museum seal of approval recognizes museums for their outstanding work and is based on the "Standards for Museums", which are published by the German Museums Association, ICOM Germany and the Conference of Museum Advisory Bodies in the Federal States (KMBL).

In 2024, the museum received the "National Award - Education for Sustainable Development" from the Federal Ministry of Education and Research and the German UNESCO Commission. It impressed the jury with its exemplary commitment to education for sustainable development with the new permanent exhibition, many educational offers for schools, children and adults, the sustainable management of the museum, lecture series and other offers.