The focus of activities in 2023 will be the centennial celebration of the Museo di Storia
Naturale, founded at the Fontego dei Turchi palace in 1923. When the Correr collection was divided, the historic and artistic core was transferred to St. Mark’s, while the natural history contents were brought to the Fontego dei Turci, together with the city’s other major natural history collections, which included the impressive collection of the Istituto Veneto di Scienze Lettere ed Arti. In this way the project long supported by the great scientist and naturalist Gian Domenico Nardo was completed.

The 2023 programme includes a range of activities offered throughout the year, which tell the story of the museum’s activities, its varied public, and its evolution over the last century. ‘The Museum of Yesterday’ is organised as a journey of rediscovery and appreciation of the museum’s main scientific collections, along with the scientists and great naturalists who created them. A presentation of the activities conducted by the museum in its many fields and its link with the area will provide the occasion for explaining the function of ‘The Museum Today’, and how many of its projects are shared with associations, organisations and institutes in the city. Finally, we would also like to consider 2023 as a moment for reflection and for imagining ‘The Museum of Tomorrow’ as a dialogue ‘in the city’ and ‘with the city’ in which we confront together the increasingly topical issues of environmental compatibility, ecological transition and new cultural offerings for our region.

The programme scheduled by the scientific staff includes temporary exhibitions of the collections not usually on show to the public, visits to the museum’s ‘behind-the-scenes’ repositories, presentations of ongoing scientific projects, as well as meetings, workshops and lectures, special educational activities, and collateral events at other venues. The centenary will also provide an occasion for rethinking the layout of some of the museum spaces and for integrating a part of the information material, with a particular focus on creating interactive stations.

A day of celebration is planned for the spring, with information points, workshops, games and shows that will involve the associations and institutes that have been working with the museum for years. This important anniversary will also be shared with the entire community.

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