The NATUREUM, a natural history museum in the National Park of Vorpommersche Boddenlandschaft, is located on the Darß peninsula near Prerow, right next to the accessible Darßer Ort lighthouse and is one of several locations of the German Maritime Museum. The diversity, dynamics and need for protection of the unique Darß landscape are presented here.
A museum for all the senses
Gentle dunes, romantic beaches, forest, rustic stretches of coastline with nature shaped by wind and sea - the Darßer Ort lighthouse is embedded in this multifaceted landscape. The NATUREUM natural history museum has been housed in the lighthouse and its outbuildings since 1991.
As one of four locations of the German Oceanographic Museum, it uses exhibitions and aquariums to convey the diversity, dynamics and need for protection of nature in a coastal landscape that has been little influenced by man. This natural history museum in the National Park of Vorpommersche Boddenlandschaft houses exhibitions on the Darßer Ort natural area, the Baltic Sea coast and the animals of the Darß region. The recreated scenario "Darßwald by night" with crepuscular animals in the basement of the former lighthouse keeper's house is particularly fascinating.
Several Baltic Sea aquariums, a beach and dune garden and a wetland biotope are also part of the NATUREUM. The walk-in lighthouse offers a magnificent view over the land and the Baltic Sea. At a height of 30 meters, visitors are rewarded with a fantastic panoramic view of the Baltic Sea and the Darss landscape from the viewing platform of the lighthouse, which was built in 1848. The scent of the forest, the expansive view, the sounds of the diverse wildlife, the wind on your skin - the NATUREUM and its surroundings offer delightful impressions for all the senses at any time of year.
After climbing the tower, it is worth visiting the museum café at the lighthouse, which is attached to the NATUREUM and reserved for museum guests. (Not open to the public).
The NATUREUM can only be reached on foot, by bike or horse-drawn carriage through the Darß "primeval forest".
