The contents of this museum come from the private natural history collection of the Margrave of Baden (open to the public since 1785) and several scientific collections dear to the Age of Enlightenment. Plants and animals are portrayed in realistic settings. A collection of rocks, minerals and fossils illustrates the earth's evolutionary process. Exhibits include a pterosaur, a fossilised whale, a giant salamander and an ancestor of the horse. To the delight of children, the vivarium teems with creepy-crawlies such as rattlesnakes and spiders.