Ice time children conquer the NHM: a journey into the past!

Ice time children conquer the NHM: a journey into the past!

On Wednesday, May 20, 2025, the Natural History Museum (NHM) in Vienna opens the new permanent exhibition "Ice Age Children and their World". The aim of this innovative presentation is to inspire younger visitors in particular for the way of life and the challenges in the ice age. The last big ice age ended about 11,700 years ago and presented Homo Sapiens' life with considerable difficulties. Project manager Caroline Posch emphasizes the often neglected role of children during this time, since in a typical ice age group of around 20 people could have been at least ten under twelve years.

In the exhibition, children are not only regarded as passive contemporary witnesses, but also as active members of a community who survived in hard surroundings. For example, they had to collect food, which is an important contribution to the survival of the group. "Ice Age Children and their World" offers a variety of exhibits from the entire population of the museum, including a 30,000-year-old clay mammoth, which was probably produced by children. Skeletons of saber tooth cats, jewelry, toys and personal care objects can also be found in the exhibition.

interactive experiences for children

A central element of the exhibition are the interactive stations based on the feedback from three school groups. For example, the young visitors can touch a belt animal tank or use digital stations to find out how fire is made. The target group is above all six to ten year olds; Accordingly, precise classification of space and time are less important. In addition, ten listening stations offer insights into the everyday life of the ice age children.

The redesign of the Saal 16 took two years and was financed by the legacy of the late Oskar Ermann. For the first time in 20 years, the 700,000 year old Hundsheimer Nashorn from Lower Austria will also be presented, which should further increase interest in this unique exhibition.

press conference for the opening

A press conference for the opening of the permanent exhibition took place on the same day at 10:30 a.m. in the lecture hall of the NHM. The admission started half an hour earlier, from 10:00 a.m., over the main entrance. Among the panel participants, Dr. Katrin Vohland, General Director of the NHM, as well as other experts from the areas of prehistory and science communication, which put the experience of children in the ice age in the foreground. The press conference was also open to children who were invited to take part in the discussion round.

For more information on the exhibition and the press conference, interested parties can be the articles from vienna.at href = "https://wien.orf.at/stories/3306126/"> ORF Vienna . Additional details can also be found in the press release on OTS