Natural History Museum Bern
Switzerland's meteorite centre, with the Twannberg irons and many meteorites from the deserts of Oman.
Key facts
- Where
- Bern, Switzerland
- Kind
- Museum
- Visiting
- Public galleries
The Natural History Museum in Bern works closely with the University of Bern, one of Europe's leading centres for meteorite research, and holds a major meteorite collection.
It is the main home of Twannberg, Switzerland's largest meteorite. The first mass was found in 1984 on the Twannberg hill above Lake Biel, and since then many more pieces have been recovered by systematic searches, making it the biggest strewn field known in the country. Twannberg is a rare IIG iron, a small group of iron meteorites rich in the phosphide mineral schreibersite.
From 2001 Bern scientists, working with the Omani authorities, searched the gravel plains of Oman and recovered thousands of meteorites, among them lunar and Martian rocks. The finds are shared between Bern and Oman.
Highlights
- Twannberg Switzerland's largest meteorite Iron, IIG
- Omani meteorites thousands from desert searches
Related pages
Opening times, what is on display and access to research collections change over time, so check with the institution before you visit.