Eclectic Charisma News - Oh, the Places You'll Go - Museum of Natural History of Vienna - Shon Charisma Reporting...

Staff Reporter

• Monday, September 13, 2010

Last week, I talked about the beauty of Runestone. This week, in my "Oh, the Places You'll Go!" travels, I decided to get a bit of culture, so I headed to a very cool museum, the Museum of Natural History of Vienna.





In real life, the museum, established between 1872-1889 in Vienna, Austria, is one of the most important museums of the world. Nearly 250 years ago, collection of artifacts for the museum began and it now boast well over 20 million objects.

In Second Life, creator Claudio Whalen has developed a museum that from the outside paints a detailed picture that replicates the real-life museum, and from the inside, the museum offers an array of sites to interest any visitor. My first step upon the museum's grounds, with the massive, stately museum building and cultural background does well in setting the Vienna stage. What gives you an idea of what goes on inside are the Tyranosaurus Rex, King Kong, and an elephant and her child who stand before the museum's door. I have to admit, as I walked to the door, I kept looking behind me, making sure the T. Rex snapped his mighty jaw or that King Kong didn't come to capture me.



My main reason for checking out the Museum of Natural History of Vienna was its display of dinosaur artifacts. Since a kid, I've been interesting in learning about dinosaurs, and here, I was able to sidle up close and personal to the Allosaurus, Stegosaurus, Diplodocus, and one of my faves, the T. Rex. I love action, and the picture above depicts raptors taking on and being taken on by the T. Rex.

The action was one of the things I enjoyed about the objects on display. A few of the dinosaurs, like the Allosaurus, allowed you to move their jaws, their eyes, and hear them roar. When you go, head to the Dilophosaurus and open his jaw--just make sure you're standing on either side of him...or he'll get ya.

In addition the dinosaurs, visitors can check out rare fossils and prehistoric and Egyptian art works. On the lower floor, there is almost a catacomb feel to the space as you wander along the narrow hall and take in the pictures drawn on or fossils embedded within the walls. Some of the fossils are so likelike, you'll want to reach out and run your fingers along the grooves. The statues of King Tut, Isis and Horus, and Anubis are just a few of the Egyptian artifacts on display.



One delightful surprise in my visit I'm fairly sure the real Museum of Natural History doesn't have is a collection of steampunk artwork by the fantastic artist, Bryn Oh.



I spent a great deal of time just walking to each of Oh's creation, looking at the intricate work that each piece contains. One of my two favorite pieces are Retelevise and =^.^=. While there, you have to check them out.

The Museum of Natural History of Vienna is a wonderful place to take the family or to go on your own on a nice, quiet afternoon. When you go, make sure you take time to wander. There are many halls that hold somewhat hidden treasures for your enjoyment.

When I did some research, I read that the Forum Europe, where the museum is held, is under construction, so if you have suggestions to help improve it or make it more useful to you as a museum visitor, Claudio Whalen is willing to listen.

Enough talk - check out the Museum of Natural History of Vienna today; here's the [SLURL].