Special exhibition: MINERAL EVOLUTION

The new special exhibition traces the ongoing evolution from the cosmic origins of matter, through the early molten Earth, the formation of the oceans and the oxygenation of the atmosphere, to the explosion of mineral diversity – and finally to the Anthropocene, in which humankind itself has become a geological force.

MINERAL EVOLUTION

Museum Mineralogia Munich

The Museum Mineralogia München is the publicly accessible part of the Mineralogische Staatssammlung München. The main part of the showcases is grouped around the large lecture hall of the institute building. Showcases in the western passage corridor to the scientific institutes explain mineralogical and crystallographic terms.

museum

Mineral of the Month

Monthly we introduce you to a new mineral. You will learn more about the mineral, possible applications in our everyday life and the reasons why scientific questions are exciting. In an extra showcase you can marvel at the mineral of the month during your next visit to the museum.

Mineral of the month

Research

Our research focuses on the analysis of rocks building the Earth's mantle and its resources. However, the examination of meteorites, especially those originating from Mars, is also of particular importance at the Mineralogische Staatssammlung. Their investigation allows us to draw conclusions about our neighbouring planet and its formation, but also about the early development of Earth and our planetary system.

research

Strange find? Collection to give away?

Have you made a strange discovery and are you interested in our expertise? Then please contact us by email at mineralogische.staatssammlung@snsb.de. Ideally, you should also send us a few photos and tell us where you found the object.

Strange find
Visitor information
Special exhibitions
Guided tours

Bavarian State Collection for Mineralogy

The MSM is a collection with a great history. A whole series of diverse acquisitions formed the basis of a collection that to this day, despite many setbacks extending into the recent past, remains one of the great German mineralogical collections. The team of the Bavarian State Collection for Mineralogy is, in addition to the curatorial tasks for the maintenance of the collections, also engaged in the mediation of mineralogical and geoscientific topics in the Museum Mineralogia Munich.

News

July 2026 – Apophyllite

Mineral des Monats 2026 , Mineral of the Month 2026

Our mineral of the month for July is a rather versatile one. Chemically pure, it would be colourless [...]

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New Special Exhibition: MINERAL EVOLUTION

News , Temporary Exhibitions

Die Sonderausstellung GeoArt – Minerale – Landschaften – Bilder, präsentiert Gemälde von Peter Volk zusammen mit Mineralen aus der Mineralogischen Staatssammlung München. Diese Kombination zeigt die enge Verknüpfung von Mineralen und den Landschaften – eingefangen in einer kunstvollen Darstellung.

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Breath of Stone and Bamboo

News , Temporary Exhibitions

Breath of Stone and Bamboo – Dong-Hee KIM (South Korea, Seoul) My work begins with a small dot [...]

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April 2026 – Wavellite

Mineral des Monats 2026 , Mineral of the Month 2026

In what we hope will be a very sunny April, we present a mineral that often forms radiant ‘suns’ [...]

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March 2026 – Erythrite

Mineral des Monats 2026 , Mineral of the Month 2026

Just in time for the arrival of spring, flowers are also blooming in the Mineralogical State Collect [...]

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Nördlinger Ries: Voted a Geoheritage!

News

Die International Commission on Geoheritage hat das Nördlinger Ries zum internationalen Geoheritage gewählt. Eine Auszeichnung, die besonderen geologischen Regionen gilt.

Das Nördlinger Ries gilt als eines der besterhaltensten Impaktkrater der Welt. Viele unterschiedliche Impaktstrukturen sind zu sehen.

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News: Meteorite fall in the area of Dachau near Munich!!!

News

Hintergrund: am Samstag, 27.01.2024, konnte gegen 17.30 Uhr ein Feuerball in weiten Teilen Zentral-Europas beobachtet werden, ganz besonders in der Region um München.

Möglicherweise hat der Feuerball zu einem Meteoriten-Fall in der Umgebung von Dachau nördlich von München geführt, siehe dazu auch Medien und Presse.

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Insights into our research

Ophiolites

Research

Ophiolites form an unique opportunity to study the complexity of the oceanic lithosphere on land, because they were obducted due to plate tectonics on the continents.

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Platinum-group minerals – Ni-Cu-PGE deposits

Research

Platinum Group Elements (PGE) are of enormous importance to business and industry. The largest application is as automotive exhaust catalysts. PGEs form a distinct group of minerals, the platinum-group minerals.

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Meteorites

Research

Meteorites can provide us with important information about the structure of our planet and the solar system. The Mineralogical State Collection Munich has acquired a great deal of expertise in recent years.

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