The Inauguration of the Museum of Nature and Humankind
19.06.2023
On Friday 23 June, 10 a.m., at the Auditorium of the Museum of Nature and Humankind (Palazzo Cavalli - corso Giuseppe Garibaldi, 39 - Padova) the official inauguration of the Museum of Nature and Humankind takes place. As the main enduring legacy bestowed upon the city of Padua following the University’s 800 anniversary celebrations, the almost 4,000 square meters dedicated to permanent and temporary exhibitions will stand as the largest university scientific museum in Italy.
Visitors of the new museum are taken on a journey through time that continuously connects humans and nature as narrated by the complexities of planet Earth from an evolutionary point of view. With meteorites and comets as messengers of the universe, the museum travels across geological eras up to the Anthropocene Epoch while reflecting on the impact of humans on biodiversity and climate change. The new museum begins with the heart of the earth to that of man and their infinite connections, a journey in which the history of science helps us interpret the world to come.
Thanks to an engaging, multimedia, and interactive interface, the new museum is where science and culture harmoniously merge among a curated selection of more than 200,000 artifacts from the Mineralogy, Geology and Paleontology, Zoology, and Anthropology collections.
The day of the inauguration begins with a guided tour for accredited journalists in the presence of the University of Padua Rector Daniela Mapelli, the President of the University Center for Unipd Museums Prof Fabrizio Nestola, and the Delegate for Communication and Scientific Dissemination Prof Telmo Pievani. The visit ends with the traditional ribbon-cutting ceremony and and the opening ceremony live streaming from 12.
Later in the afternoon, Prof Nestola welcomes a panel of international museum directors to discuss their experiences with the talk "Museums from four Continents at 4 pm. The panel includes Dr. Katrin Vohland of the Naturhistorisches Museum in Vienna (Austria), Dr. Jeffrey Post of The National Museum of Natural History at the Smithsonian Institution in Washington D.C. (USA), Dr. Analía A. Lanteri of the Museo La Plata in Paseo del Bosque (Argentina), and Dr. Ken-ichi Shinoda of The National Museum of Nature and Science in Tokyo (Japan).
In celebration of the inauguration of the Museum of Nature and Humankind, a special evening vernissage is open to the public from 7 pm to 11 pm free subject to availability. Free visits are sold out.
A musical performance by the Student Art Center found at the entrance and exit of the museum, conveys a perceived sense of our place within this extraordinary and fragile planet.
The Museum of Nature and Humankind officially opens Saturday, June 24 and can be visited from Tuesday to Sunday, from 10 am to 19 (last entrance at 18). In the first opening weekend the entrance ticket includes the free guided tour at 11, 15, 15:30, 17, 17:30 (subject to availability) with reservation from Thursday 22 June by contacting the Booking Center (049.8273939, Mon-Sun 9-17).
Museum tickets can be purchased online from Friday 23 and at the ticket office from Saturday 24 June.
