Naturalis Biodiversity Center
Naturalis is a research institute and natural science museum in Leiden. The museum collects animals, plants and rocks and informs the public about biodiversity on Earth. The current collection contains over 37 million objects. In addition to a museum, Naturalis Biodiversity Center is also a research centre; for instance, wildly popular Dutch biologist Freek Vonk does research on the effect of snake poison here.
Naturalis has locations available for rent for conferences, meetings and receptions. The rooms of the Pesthuis are suitable for 2 to 200 people. Meetings can be used in combination with a tour of the park or a workshop in the museum.
The Pesthuis, a listed historical buildi…
Naturalis is a research institute and natural science museum in Leiden. The museum collects animals, plants and rocks and informs the public about biodiversity on Earth. The current collection contains over 37 million objects. In addition to a museum, Naturalis Biodiversity Center is also a research centre; for instance, wildly popular Dutch biologist Freek Vonk does research on the effect of snake poison here.
Naturalis has locations available for rent for conferences, meetings and receptions. The rooms of the Pesthuis are suitable for 2 to 200 people. Meetings can be used in combination with a tour of the park or a workshop in the museum.
The Pesthuis, a listed historical building dating back to 1661, is used as the entry of Naturalis. The courtyard of the characteristic building has a square structure and is suitable as a party location for a maximum of 400 people. By adding tents, any possible cold or rain can be disregarded. The Auditorium is a stately conference room for 40 to 175 people and includes an audiovisual booth. The room has a high ceiling and windows that have the option to be blacked out. The adjacent Restaurant is perfect for receptions. The Regentenkamer provides space to a maximum of 25 people. From this salon, the Pesthuis was managed in the 17th century. The walls and curtains have been finished with the wool cloth which Leiden was so famous for in its Golden Age.
For special events, Naturalis provides the option to visit the museum, or parts of it, outside opening hours. The complete museum provides space to a maximum of 2,000 people. The LiveScience room in the museum is suitable for informal drinks up to 150 people.
From August 2016 Naturalis will be under renovation. The museum temporarily moves to the Pesthuis and remains open to the public during renovations. A new building is added next to the existing one, with a public atrium in between. The new museum will open in 2017, after which the Tyrannosaurus Rex imported from the USA will get its place of honour.
Naturalis is situated within walking distance from station Leiden Central and is easily accessible by public transport. The A44 motorway is close by. However, the number of parking spaces near Naturalis is limited. Visitors who arrive by car can use the Morspoort multi-storey car park. It is a five-minute walk from there to Naturalis.
