The geology of the Schaffhausen region is very rich. The exhibited rocks, fossils, and minerals, mostly from the collection of Bergrat Ferdinand Schalch, as well as visualizations, take us on a journey through millions of years. Impressive ammonites and ichthyosaur vertebrae immerse us in the Jura Sea. The tiny teeth of a Morganucodon document the development of mammal-like animals. The delicate fossils from the world-famous Schienerberg site attest to a time when cinnamon trees and elephant-like animals lived in the region. The sequence of cold and warm periods allows us to trace the formation of the Rhine Falls.

The second part of the exhibition features various animal species and habitats. On the banks of the Rhine, we encounter beavers and kingfishers, mute swans and black-headed gulls, and on the Randen, rare plants. Younger visitors can listen to podcasts with interesting facts about native animals. Seen through binoculars, the small beetles suddenly appear quite large. A colony of bees usually visits the nature exhibition during the summer season.

The exhibition was created in the 1980s as a replacement for the Natural History Museum, which was destroyed on 1 April 1944.