1 to 31 January
Special exhibition: Proboscidea
Location: Museum of Natural History Chemnitz, 1st floor, Tietz, Moritzstraße 20
Admission: Visiting the special exhibition on proboscideans is free of charge. A valid admission ticket is required for the tour of the permanent and special exhibition.
The freely accessible area between the Museum of Natural History and the Neue Sächsische Galerie currently offers an insight into the evolution of proboscideans. Scientific volunteer Christopher Herrmann found an unexpectedly large number of proboscidean fossils while working in the museum's collection magazine. This gave rise to the idea of thematising the evolution of elephants using objects from our collection. You can get up close and personal with elephants, mammoths and the like in the display cases.
1 to 18 January
Special exhibition: Highlights of nature photography 2025
Location: Museum of Natural History Chemnitz, 1st floor, Tietz, Moritzstraße 20
Admission: Adults 4 euros, concessions 2.50 euros, children and young people up to 18 years free of charge
The international "Highlights of Nature Photography" competition will be back in Chemnitz in 2025. Thanks to its modernised appearance with a new design and an increased online presence, the competition, which has been held annually since 1999, has achieved record figures: This time, the judges received a total of 22,692 entries from 949 photographers from 35 countries. The winner was "Meal" by Norwegian Pål Hermansen. The photo, which was taken with a drone over Spitsbergen, shows a polar bear that has just feasted on a walrus - and the prey is bigger than the bear itself. Alongside this martial scene are magical landscapes, fascinating close-ups, nocturnal studies and amusing snapshots. Many of the picture titles are also amusing, such as "Butterfly kiss" for two blades of grass reminiscent of the shape of lips on which a butterfly is sitting, or "Holy Trinity" for three owls in a church façade.
The pictures are divided into eight thematic categories; there is also a "Junior Award" for photographers under the age of 18.
The exhibition "Highlights of Nature Photography 2025" can be seen at the Museum für Naturkunde Chemnitz until 18 January 2026.
Wednesday, 21 January, 6.30 to 7.30 pm
Namibia 2022 - Collecting under the African sun, Part II: Around the Brandberg.
Lecture by Mathias Sehrig, Chemnitz
Location: Museum of Natural History Chemnitz, Museum Education, 1st floor, Tietz, Moritzstraße 20
Admission: free of charge
Three men, a car with tools - and "Let's go!". But classic "mineral collecting" around the Brandberg is not as easy as one might think from a mineral-rich region. Your own requirements, the sheer immensity of the landscape and other "hunters" are factors that you have to keep in mind. And then there is the relentlessness of the desert... But no matter how many minerals you find - the images of the fascinating landscape, including the few inhabitants, will remain in your memory forever. Let us take you on a journey to the small miners in the Gobobo Mountains and the Brandberg Massif!
An event organised by the Friends of the Museum für Naturkunde Chemnitz e. V.