Mineralogisches Museum Würzburg

The Mineralogical Museum in Würzburg is part of the Institute of Geography and Geology at the Julius-Maximilians University. It sits on the southern Hubland campus in the ground floor of the Geography building. The collection began in the late 18th century with Bonavita Blank’s donated cabinet of natural curiosities. The museum owes much to figures like curator Ludwig Rumpf and Jakob Beckenkamp, who secured a permanent home for the minerals in the 19th century. After wartime closure, Siegfried Matthes reopened the displays in 1978 in the new Hubland building. Today it holds five rooms arranged in nearly twenty themes, from meteorites and plate tectonics to regional rocks and classic European ore deposits. Visitors find displays on the Earth’s place in the solar system, a meteorite hall, and a regional collection covering the Spessart and Rhön. Wechselvitrinen showcase new acquisitions and special mineral groups. The museum also serves as a depot for four recognised type minerals, including Crerarit and Okruschit, listed in the German Type Mineral Catalogue.