Museums offer a different and more personal learning experience than the internet. The Natural History Museum [Naturhistorisches Museum] in Berlin, the largest of its kind in Germany, invites visitors to explore the planet and its history from up close. Over half a million people come to see its exhibitions every year. It is best known for showing the largest mounted dinosaur in the world and houses a well-preserved Archaeopteryx, the earliest known bird. Beginning in late 2015, a T. Rex, the only one of its kind in Europe, is also displayed there.

In a spacious hall, several dinosaurs tower over visitors at their full height. Knut, a polar bear beloved by the public who died in the city’s own zoo in 2011, is part of the collection. In a glass case, he appears trapped in time, as if in any given moment he might come to life again. For its director, Prof. Johannes Vogel, the real-life-experience is what sets the museum apart: Visitors want a sense of magic that no replica or screen can offer.

Behind the scenes, in a world few get to see, are the museum’s storage vaults. Insects, some smaller than a fingernail, are neatly arranged in countless glass-encased drawers; shark hides, dating as far back as the 17th century, can be found in a closet; dinosaur bones are tucked away under sheets in a basement.

Its height of 13.27 meters makes the Brachiosaurus (Brachiosaurus brancai) skeleton the biggest mounted dinosaur skeleton in the world. These bones were found during the Tendaguru expedition at the beginning of the 20th century, in what is now Tanzania in Eastern Africa. The 50-ton giant lived 150 million years ago, feeding on plants. Berlin, Germany.

Museum Director Prof. Johannes Vogel inspects a Spix Ara, a species of macaws believed to be extinct in the wild. Berlin, Germany.

A preserved specimen of a Southern Cassowary, one of many kept in the back rooms. These birds are large, flightless relatives of the ostrich and emu. Berlin, Germany.

Millions of specimen are preserved in organized drawers, not visible to the public. The collections are so extensive that less than 1 in 5,000 specimen is exhibited, but they attract researchers from around the world. Berlin, Germany.

A visitor to the museum looks at an enlarged model of a spider. Berlin, Germany.

The storage vaults behind the scenes of the museum contain over 30 million specimen. These songbird and parrot skeletons in the so-called “bird hall” would feel equally at home in a haunted house, as they appear to retain a ghost of their living personality. Berlin, Germany.

Herd animals, even in death, skeletons and skulls of domestic cattle line hallways behind the scenes in the museum. Berlin, Germany.

The back rooms in the museum are full of surreal surprises. Berlin, Germany.

Tristan, the only complete T-Rex skeleton in Europe, has been displayed at Berlin’s Natural History Museum since October 2015. Berlin, Germany.

Knut was rejected by his mother at birth and raised by zookeepers. He was the first polar bear cub to survive past infancy at the Berlin Zoo in more than 30 years, and he became a tourist attraction and commercial success worldwide. Knut unexpectedly died at the age of four. Knut's remains are exhibited in Berlin's Natural History Museum and will be the highlight of this exhibition for years to come. Berlin, Germany.

The “wet collection” is one of the most spectacular sections in the museum. More than 270,000 animal specimens are preserved in 80,000 liters of alcohol. Berlin, Germany.

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MfN Berlin