This exhibition on natural and cultural sciences brings together a wide variety of perspectives: it not only showcases the impressive diversity of toxic organisms, but also explores how humans interact with toxic substances. A look at medicine makes it clear that poisons can not only kill, but also heal. Numerous medicines are based on substances that were originally toxic—such as digitoxin from the foxglove. Paracelsus, who once postulated, “All things are poison and nothing is without poison; it is only the dose that makes a thing not poison,” is therefore a must-see.

The annual exhibition of the museum’s Natural History Collections is based on two pillars: In the first section—“Poison and Nature”—visitors will find well-known, poisonous creatures such as cobras and scorpions. Additionally, there are organisms here whose toxicity may come as a surprise. The plump loris, the only poisonous primate, protects its young by rubbing its poison into their fur. The platypus also possesses a venomous spur, though this is found only in males, who use it during fights with rival males. The exhibition also explores the following questions: What exactly is poison? How did poisons evolve? What are the advantages of being poisonous? And are there any disadvantages?

Created specifically for the exhibition, the museum features, among other things, a life-size model of a sea wasp and a cast of a Komodo dragon. The taxidermy team created outstanding works with great precision. The sea wasp represents the pinnacle of venomous animals. Its potent venom can lead to death within minutes upon contact with its tentacles. The Komodo dragon, on the other hand, was a mystery for a long time.  Its bite was once thought to cause a bacterial infection. Today we know that glands in its lower jaw contain venom.

Alongside the poison dart frog, which stores toxins from its diet in its skin, or the clownfish, which seeks shelter among the tentacles of the sea anemone, humans too have learned to harness toxins from their environment for their own purposes—and even to develop entirely new ones. The second section of the exhibition—“Humans and Poison”—examines the cultural history of poison. Starting with indigenous peoples who use toxic substances for hunting, ritual purposes, or intoxication, we turn our gaze to the past and present. Pesticides in fields, arsenic in wallpaper, hemlock in a cup, active ingredients in tablets. Poisons are multifaceted; in and of themselves, neither good nor evil.

Pesticides cause massive harm to insects and significantly decimate soil life, yet they also help fill our plates and stomachs at affordable prices. But for how much longer? The exhibition placed special emphasis on the pharmaceutical use of toxic substances: belladonna, foxglove, the crested lizard, and cone snails. Their toxic components served as the starting point for the development of medications, such as a painkiller derived from the venom of the cone snail or, in the case of the crested lizard, a diabetes medication. Symbolically, the well-stocked apothecary’s cabinet serves as an exhibition element representing pharmacy and, with its 45 drawers, invites visitors to discover which substances were available in pharmacies in the past for health purposes.

In addition, a multimedia station offers the opportunity to explore the effects of various poisons on the body. And some exhibition objects may even be touched, such as the two-meter-tall leather spider, which was built specifically for the exhibition, or the cast of a narwhal tusk. Although this is not poisonous, it was understood as a “unicorn’s horn,” and in the 12th century, people attributed magical powers to it that were said to protect against poisoning.

The exhibition is accompanied by an extensive program: For example, a collaboration with the Caligari FilmBühne in Wiesbaden explores the theme of poison in film (September 18, 2026; January 18, 2027), while the exhibition’s theme will serve as the theme for a party at Schlachthof Wiesbaden on April 25.