The Museum was founded in 1986. Today it is important as a scientific institution. The holdings of the Museum comprise more than 250,000 specimens distributed among various different collections. The collection of rocks and minerals keeps specimens from the whole world. The geological and palaeontological collection is a presentation of the evolution of the plant and animal world. Inside it, the Krapina Pre-Historic Man Collection has an important place; this is the most important Neanderthal collection in the world. The zoological collections, with representatives of the fauna of Croatia, collections, with representatives of the fauna of Croatia, collections of endemics from our area and collections of exotic species are also valuable. In the more recent period, a Botanical Section with herbaria has been founded. There is a fine library in the Museum with more than 30,000 titles related to natural history. The permanent exhibition displays the mineralogical and petrographic and the zoological collections, with material from Croatia and comparative material from the other parts of the world. From time to time, thematic exhibitions are organized, as well as exhibitions related to scientific conferences. The museum publishes the scientific journal "Natura Croatica".