Museo di Storia Naturale

Modena's natural history collections preserve the scientific legacy of the Este court in zoology, paleontology, mineralogy and geology. Now cared for by the University of Modena and Reggio Emilia, they include Apennine fossils, historic mineral collections and meteorites, including a fragment from the 1766 Albareto fall near the city.

Why it matters

The collections grew from eighteenth-century scholarship and gifts. The natural history museum took shape in the Este period: the mineralogical collection is associated with Bishop Giuseppe Maria Fogliani's bequest in 1786, while the paleontology collection records its foundation in 1776 under Duke Francesco III d'Este. In 1846, zoologist Pietro Doderlein praised the ducal collections, a legacy recalled in the name Gemma 1786.

Today the historic collections are presented in separate university museums in Modena's Palazzo dei Musei quarter. Their history connects courtly collecting with the development of scientific study in the region.

What to notice

The zoology and comparative anatomy collections include taxidermied and preserved vertebrates, skeletons, molluscs and insects, as well as the Franchini collection of parasites and venomous species and an ornithological collection of parrots.

Paleontology brings together fossils gathered in nineteenth-century research in the Tuscan-Emilian Apennines, including material associated with Pietro Doderlein, Francesco Coppi and Dante Pantanelli. The collections also include Miocene echinoids from Montese, microfossils assembled by Michele Di Napoli, fossil fish and plant specimens from Bolca, and a Lower Jurassic ichthyosaur donated by the Ligabue Foundation.

Gemma 1786 ranges across minerals, rocks, geology and meteorites. Its meteorite holdings include fragments from Siena, Renazzo and Alfianello, as well as the principal fragment of the Albareto meteorite, which fell near Modena in 1766.

Context and history

Gifts from members of the Este family enriched the collections over generations. In 1819 Archduke Maximilian donated minerals, rocks and fossils, including fragments of the Stannern meteorite. Other holdings reflect the geological work commissioned by Duke Francesco IV and the collecting of Archduchess Maria Beatrice.

The paleontology collections developed as a distinct university institute in the twentieth century, with institutional milestones in 1926 and 1961. Since 2017, the zoological collections have formed part of the university's museum system. Together these collections preserve a history of natural science shaped by research, teaching and civic stewardship.