In 1775, by order of the Granduke Peter Leopold of Lorraine, the La Specola Museum was inaugurated and opened to the public under the name of Imperial Royal Museum of Physics and Natural History, a name which is still visible on the arch over the main door at via Romana 17. Though the Medicis began the Florentine natural history collections it was the Hapsburg Lorraines who gave them esteem and consistency. In 1771 the size of the collections was such that to house them the Granduke purchased the Torrigiani palazzo adjacent to the royal residence. This site - the parent of all the present day Florentine scientific museums - came to be called 'La Specola' due to the construction in 1789 of a tower to be used as an astronomic observatory and which remained in use for almost one century.
The Museum's first director - the chemist and physiologist Felice Fontana - notably enriched its collections and library and organized both its services and exhibition space but, above all, created the wax modeling laboratory which began its production even before the Museum was inaugurated.
The products - models of human anatomy, comparative anatomy and plants - still evoke admiration and awe for their accuracy, spirit and artistry.
The wax collection, unique in the quantity and beauty of its pieces, was created in order to teach anatomy without having to directly observe a cadaver. In the mid 1800's, due to the physical separation of each discipline, all but the zoological and human and comparative anatomy wax collections were moved elsewhere.
These two exhibitions now cover an area of 1200 m² in 34 rooms, 24 of which are dedicated to zoology and 10 to the waxes including one containing 5 works by the famous Sicilian wax modeler Giulio Gaetano Zumbo.
In 1775, by order of the Granduke Peter Leopold of Lorraine, the La Specola Museum was inaugurated and opened to the public under the name of Imperial Royal Museum of Physics and Natural History, a name which is still visible on the arch over the main door at via Romana 17. Though the Medicis began the Florentine natural history collections it was the Hapsburg Lorraines who gave them esteem and consistency. In 1771 the size of the collections was such that to house them the Granduke purchased the Torrigiani palazzo adjacent to the royal residence. This site - the parent of all the present day Florentine scientific museums - came to be called 'La Specola' due to the construction in 1789 of a tower to be used as an astronomic observatory and which remained in use for almost one century.
The Museum's first director - the chemist and physiologist Felice Fontana - notably enriched its collections and library and organized both its services and exhibition space but, above all, created the wax modeling laboratory which began its production even before the Museum was inaugurated.
The products - models of human anatomy, comparative anatomy and plants - still evoke admiration and awe for their accuracy, spirit and artistry.
The wax collection, unique in the quantity and beauty of its pieces, was created in order to teach anatomy without having to directly observe a cadaver. In the mid 1800's, due to the physical separation of each discipline, all but the zoological and human and comparative anatomy wax collections were moved elsewhere.
These two exhibitions now cover an area of 1200 m² in 34 rooms, 24 of which are dedicated to zoology and 10 to the waxes including one containing 5 works by the famous Sicilian wax modeler Giulio Gaetano Zumbo.
Indirizzo: Via Romana 17 - Firenze Biglietto: 5 € Riduzioni: - Orario apertura: 9-13 For guided tours advance reservations are required Chiusura: Wednesday Telefono: 055/2288251
