Valencia opens a new natural collections museum: El Paleontològic

The city of Valencia inaugurates El Paleontològic – Museum of Natural Collections, embracing interactivity and cutting-edge technology to transform the former Museum of Natural Sciences into a pioneering center for scientific dissemination.

• The museographic approach aims to turn each visitor into an active explorer through key innovations:

• Augmented reality app: A personalized app guides visitors along three different itineraries, enriching the tour with contextual information and interactive visual elements.

• Immersive audiovisual content: 3D films and three audiovisuals immerse the public in prehistoric environments and evolutionary history.

Permanent interactive installations: Touchscreen-integrated maps, models, and dioramas encourage direct participation and experiential learning.

This technological commitment seeks not only to attract a wider audience but also to captivate tech-savvy visitors, both local and national, who demand playful and immersive cultural experiences.

A unique paleontological heritage in Europe

El Paleontològic hosts one of Europe’s most outstanding fossil collections, especially notable for its South American Pleistocene specimens. The collection includes twenty skeletons and more than five thousand bones, representing over twenty different families of mammals, among which the imposing megatherium fossil stands out. The center traces its origins back to the 19th century with the collection of Valencian engineer Rodrigo Botet. Throughout its history, after being housed in L’Almodí and the City Hall Exhibition Hall, it reopened in 1999 in its current location as the Museum of Natural Sciences. Since then, it has expanded its holdings with other valuable collections. In 2024, it was the third most visited municipal museum, after the Municipal Historical Museum and the Archaeological Center of l’Almoina.

All municipal museums can be visited free of charge with the Valencia Tourist Card.