National Museum of Natural Sciences

National Museum of Natural Sciences

The National Museum of Natural Sciences is located in the heart of Madrid, near Paseo de la Castellana. Established in 1772 by King Carlos III of Spain from the Bourbon dynasty, it is the largest national museum of natural sciences in Spain.

The museum aims to help visitors understand the richness and diversity of the natural world and the various organisms that live within it. It houses some of the most important natural history specimens in Spain. Over its 250-year existence, the museum has collected eight million specimens of flora and fauna, an astonishing number and scale that includes not only species native to Spain but also those from the Mediterranean region. Based on natural environments and types of organisms, the collection is divided into five main sections: Biodiversity and Evolutionary Biology, Evolutionary Ecology, Paleontology, Volcanology, and Geology — allowing visitors to explore the history of Earth and life. Within the museum, visitors can view a replica of a Diplodocus, a elephant specimen hunted by Alfonso VIII in the early 20th century, and an enormous eight-meter-long squid caught at sea, among other exhibits.

NationalMuseumofNaturalSciences

Why go: Spain’s largest museum of natural sciences

Continent where the attraction is located: Europe【Europe】

Country/region where the attraction is located: Spain[Spain]

Province/state where the attraction is located: Autonomous Community of Madrid[MadridAutonomousCommunity]

City where the attraction is located: Madrid[Madrid]