A 200-year-old elm slice greets you. Welcome to the Haus der Natur. This isn’t just any museum. It’s Bonn’s environmental education center.
The Haus der Natur’s story begins in 1988. The Bonn City Council decided on an information center. The plan? To use a half-timbered house from the Hunsrück region. This building now stands proudly on the Venusberg.
A year later a 20-year lease was signed. The Haus der Natur became a local favorite. It joined other attractions like the wildlife enclosure and a large playground. Some exhibits from that time still amaze visitors. That impressive 200-year-old elm slice for instance.
Fast forward to 2008. The city council wanted to improve the Haus der Natur. Bonn is a UN city for biodiversity and sustainability. It aimed for innovative environmental education. The old Waldinformationszentrum was redesigned. It became a regional environmental education center. Federal funding arrived in 2016. Major renovations took place from 2017 to 2019.
Since June 30 2019 visitors have enjoyed a modern center. It focuses on education for sustainable development. The ground floor now has a new entrance and foyer. There’s a rotating exhibition a small seminar room restrooms and offices.
Upstairs a multifunctional seminar room awaits. The main attraction is the permanent exhibition about the “city forest”. The Haus der Natur team worked with many partners. Together they created a new environmental educational program. The permanent exhibition was completely redesigned. It explores the Kottenforst Bonn’s urban forest. The exhibits cover centuries of history. They explore the forest’s significance for the densely populated area. Original exhibits are showcased with hand-drawn illustrations. They add context to the forest’s cultural history. The exhibits even reach current environmental protection and sustainability goals.
An ecologically managed farmer’s garden shows you how the former farm residents grew vegetables and fruit. Nearby take a stroll among the more than 200-year-old pollarded hornbeams. They are just one example of Bonn’s rich natural heritage. The Haus der Natur is more than a building. It is a testament to Bonn’s commitment to environmental education and sustainability. It invites you to discover the fascinating story of the urban forest. It invites you to appreciate the natural world around us.