Naturalis Biodiversity Center

The beginnings of Naturalis Biodiversity Center go back to the creation of the 'Rijksmuseum van Natuurlijke Historie' (acronym RMNH, National Museum of Natural History) by Dutch King William I on August 9, 1820. In 1878, the geological and mineralogical collections of the museum were split off into a separate museum, the 'Rijksmuseum van Geologie en Mineralogie' (acronym RGM). RGM remained distinct until the merger with the 'Rijksmuseum van Natuurlijke Historie' (RMNH) in 1984, to form the 'Nationaal Natuurhistorisch Museum' (NNM) or National Museum of Natural History, later renamed 'Naturalis'. In 2010 Naturalis was further combined with the Zoological Museum Amsterdam (ZMA) of the University of Amsterdam, and the Dutch National Herbaria at the universities of Leiden, Utrecht, Amsterdam and Wageningen, to form the 'Nederlands Centrum voor Biodiversiteit' (NCB). In 2012 its name became the Naturalis Biodiversity Center. Worldwide.