3D scan of Franz Viehböck's Sokol space suit that he wore on his flight to the space station MIR. Franz Viehböck studied electronics engineering at the Vienna University of Technology, and became the first and as of today only Austrian Astronaut. On the 2nd of October, 1991, the Sojus-TM-13-rocket started in Baikonur (KAZ). The commander of the Austromir mission was the Russian Alexander Volkov and the third man was the Kazakh Toktar Aubakirov. 

The space suit is no longer exhibited at the Natural History Museum Vienna, but was on display from 2015–2021. It will be put on display at the Technical Museum Vienna. We want to thank Franz Viehböck for the opportunity to scan and present this piece of Austrian history! 

Find out more about the NHMW [here](http://www.nhm-wien.ac.at/en).

Find out more about Franz Viehböck’s life [here](https://en.franzviehboeck.com/). 

Scanned and edited by G. Herbst-Kiss, G. Stöckle, C. Goldmann, J. Muhsil & A. Haider (NHMW)

Scanner: Artec Leo. Infrastructure funded by the FFG.

Franz Viehböck's Sokol Space Suit

3D scan of a fossil human skull excavated in the Mladeč Caves, Czech Republic, in 1881. With an absolute age of ca. 31,000 years, the Mladeč 1 skull is one of the oldest securely dated *Homo sapiens* finds in Europe. It provides rare insights into the morphology of our species in the European Upper Paleolithic. 

The Mladeč 1 skull is Number 47 of the NHM Top 100. The valuable original is not on display in the exhibition halls, but a cast can be found in Hall 14 of the NHM Vienna.

**Specimen**: Mladeč 1 skull

**Inventory number**: NHMW-ANTHRO-OSTE-5454

**Collection**: Natural History Museum Vienna, Anthropology Dept. (curator: Sabine Eggers)

Find out more about the NHMW [here](http://www.nhm-wien.ac.at/en).

Scanned and edited by Andrea Stadlmayr, Anna Haider, Viola Winkler (NHMW)

Scanner: Artec Space Spider. Infrastructure funded by the FFG.

Mladeč 1 Skull (NHMW-ANTHRO-OSTE-5454)

3D scan of a Terror-bird model from the species *Paraphysornis brasiliensis*. Members of the Phorusrhacidae family are commonly known under the term "terror birds". Species of these apex predators could reach a height up to 3 meters! They lived mainly in South America from the early Tertiary (55 million years ago) until the late glacial period. 

This model can be found in Hall 9 at the NHM Vienna.

**Specimen**: *Paraphysornis brasiliensis* (Alvarenga, 1982)

**Inventory number**: NHMW-GEO-2012/0007/0001

**Collection**: Natural History Museum Vienna, Geology & Paleontology Dept., Vertebrate Coll. (curator: Ursula Göhlich)

Find out more about the NHMW [here](http://www.nhm-wien.ac.at/en).

Scanned and edited by Nikola Brodtmann, Anna Haider & Viola Winkler (NHMW)

Scanner: Artec Leo. Infrastructure funded by the FFG.

Terror Bird (NHMW-GEO-2012/0007/0001)

Based on [Löwe](https://sketchfab.com/3d-models/lowe-4522a4cdc1c14190bf1a8811fa27da32) by [noe-3d.at](https://sketchfab.com/www.noe-3d.at) made available under the CC0 Public Domain dedication.

I used [rapidcompact.com](http://rapidcompact.com) optimize this excellent 3D scan, choosing default settings and a 3mb target filesize.

Object info:

> Upright sitting lion in front of the National Library Vienna. The lion made of brown sandstone from Horitz in the Czech Republic holds a heraldic cartouche with one paw. The four lions in front of the entrance were created by Fritz Zerritsch.

Lion Statue - optimized

3D scan of a Plateosaurus (*Plateosaurus trossingensis*) skeleton. *Plateosaurus trossingensis* was an herbivore, “prosauropod” dinosaur with a small skull but a long neck and tail. This skeleton consists of original bones, as well as 3D print-reconstructions; details can be seen in the graphic below. 

![Plateosaurus](https://verlag.nhm-wien.ac.at/data/Sketchfab/Plateosaurus_Info.png)
© NHMW

The skeleton is on display in Hall 7 of the NHM Vienna.

**Species**: *Plateosaurus trossingensis* Fraas, 1913 

**Collection**: Natural History Museum Vienna, Geology & Paleontology Dept., Vertebrate Coll. (curator: Ursula Göhlich) – Permanent loan from the [Dinosaur Museum in Frick](https://sauriermuseum-frick.ch/en/)

Find out more about the NHMW [here](http://www.nhm-wien.ac.at/en).

Scanned and edited by A.Festi, C.Guerin, A.Haider, P.Tranchet, V.Winkler (NHMW)

Normal map generated in xNormal (added June 2024).

Scanner: Artec Leo. Infrastructure funded by the FFG.

Plateosaurus Skeleton

3D scan of an original fossilized skeleton of a giant deer (*Megaloceros giganteus*) found in Ireland from the Late Pleistocene (ca. 12,000 years old). The males had a shoulder height of around 2.1 meters and their antlers are the largest known in any deer with a width up to 4 meters. The giant deer disappeared around 11,700 years ago in Europe, like many other animals from the Ice Age.

The skeleton of the giant deer can be found in Hall 16 at the NHM Vienna. 

**Specimen**: Giant deer or Irish elk, *Megaloceros giganteus* (Blumenbach, 1799) 

**Inventory number**: NHMW-GEO-1876/0030/0003

**Collection**: Natural History Museum Vienna, Geology & Paleontology Dept., Vertebrate Coll. (curator: Ursula Göhlich)

Find out more about the NHMW [here](http://www.nhm-wien.ac.at/en).

Scanned and edited by Nikola Brodtmann, Anna Haider & Viola Winkler (NHMW)

Scanner: Artec Leo. Infrastructure funded by the FFG.

Giant Deer (NHMW-GEO-1876/0030/0003)

The Lion of Aspern is a war memorial created by Anton Dominik Fernkorn, which was erected in 1858 at Asperner Heldenplatz (today a district of Vienna). The sculpture is made of sandstone and commemorates the Austrian soldiers who died in the battle of Aspern.

Fernkorn created a larger-than-life sculpture of a lying, dying lion on a stone base with an oak leaf garland on a stone foundation. Between the front paws is a Napoleonic eagle, under the body an emperor's cloak, and on the left side of the body are field signs. The lion is pierced by a lance whose tip protrudes behind the left shoulder blade of the animal below the mane.

Löwe von Aspern

3D scan of an original fossilized skeleton of a saber-toothed cat (*Smilodon populator*) from the late Pleistocene. It was found in Río Areco in Argentina and is about 40,000 years old. 

The skeleton of the saber-toothed cat can be found in Hall 16 at the NHM Vienna. 

**Specimen**: Saber-toothed cat, *Smilodon populator* (Lund, 1842) 

**Inventory number**: NHMW-GEO-1910/0102/0001

**Collection**: Natural History Museum Vienna, Geology & Paleontology Dept., Vertebrate Coll. (curator: Ursula Göhlich)

Find out more about the NHMW [here](http://www.nhm-wien.ac.at/en).

Scanned and edited by Nikola Brodtmann, Anna Haider & Viola Winkler (NHMW)

Scanner: Artec Leo. Infrastructure funded by the FFG.

Saber-Toothed Cat (NHMW-GEO-1910/0102/0001)

Upright sitting lion in front of the National Library Vienna. The lion made of brown sandstone  from Horitz in the Czech Republic holds a heraldic cartouche with one paw. The four lions in front of the entrance were created by Fritz Zerritsch.

Löwe

3D scan of two giant spider crabs (*Macrocheira kaempferi*). These large specimens where a gift from the Japanese Emperor Meiji to Emperor Franz Joseph I in 1882. With a leg span of up to 4 meters, these crabs are the largest living crustaceans in the world. They can weight up to 20 kilograms and are only found in the Pacific Ocean around the Japanese Islands. 

The Japanese giant spider crabs are Number 48 of the NHM Top 100 and can be found in Hall 23 of the NHM Vienna, right behind the [giant clam](https://skfb.ly/onAWG). 

**Specimen**: *Macrocheira kaempferi* (Temminck, 1836)

**Inventory number**: NHMW-ZOO-CR-4381

**Collection**: Natural History Museum Vienna, 3rd Zoological Dept., Crustacean Coll. (curator: Martin Schwentner)

Find out more about the NHMW [here](http://www.nhm-wien.ac.at/en).

Scanned and edited by Anna Haider & Viola Winkler (NHMW)

Japanese Giant Spider Crabs (NHMW-ZOO-CR-4381)

Another lion with a different posture in front of the National Library in Vienna. The animal holds a coat of arms cartouche with one paw. The statue was made by Fritz Zerritsch.

[See the other lion here](https://sketchfab.com/3d-models/lowe-4522a4cdc1c14190bf1a8811fa27da32)

3D scan of a mount of a shoebill (*Balaeniceps rex*), that can stand up to 1.2 meters. Its name refers to the enormous beak that resembles a shoe. In Southern Sudan *B. rex* inhabits swamps and lakeshores where papyrus and reeds grow. This material is used to build their nests. This specimen of the rare African bird comes from the Bahr el Ghazal estuary in Sudan and was donated to the NHM Vienna in 1913. 

The Shoebill is Number 76 of the NHM Top 100 and can be found in Hall 30 of the NHM Vienna.

**Specimen**: *Balaeniceps rex* (Gould, 1850)

**Inventory number**: NHMW-ZOO-VS-62.593

**Collection**: Natural History Museum Vienna, 1st Zoological Dept., Bird Coll. (curator: Swen Renner)


Find out more about the NHMW [here](http://www.nhm-wien.ac.at/en).

Scanned and edited by Anna Haider & Viola Winkler (NHMW)

Scanner: Artec Leo. Infrastructure funded by the FFG.

Shoebill (NHMW-ZOO-VS-62.593)

Grave of honour of Johannes Benk at the Vienna Central Cemetery.
The Austrian sculptor Johannes Benk (1844-1914) created several statues for the Vienna Votivkirche, the Museum of Military History and the Museum of Art and Natural History. His main work, the Deutschmeister monument, is located on Vienna's Ringstrasse. In 1924 Benkgasse in Vienna was named after the sculptor.

Ehrengrab Johannes Benk

3D scan of a juvenile American alligator (*Alligator mississippiensis*). Alligators are native to the southeastern United States and to northeastern Mexico. They live in freshwater wetlands such as marshes and swamps. Apart from this species there is only one other extant *Alligator*: the Chinese alligator (*Alligator sinensis*). 

The American alligator can be found in Hall 28 of the NHM Vienna.

**Specimen**: *Alligator mississippiensis* (Daudin, 1802)

**Inventory number**: NHMW-ZOO-HS-15682

**Collection**: Natural History Museum Vienna, 1st Zoological Dept., Herpetology Coll. (curator: Silke Schweiger)

Find out more about the NHMW [here](http://www.nhm-wien.ac.at/en).

Scanned and edited by Anna Haider & Viola Winkler (NHMW)

Scanner: Artec Leo. Infrastructure funded by the FFG.

American Alligator (NHMW-ZOO-HS-15682)

Lion at the entrance to the Palace of Justice in Vienna. The sculpture around 1880 was created by Emanuel Pendl.
The Palace of Justice was built between 1875 and 1881 in the neo-renaissance style. Today it houses the Supreme Court of Justice, the General Procurator's Office, the Higher Regional Court of Vienna, the Vienna Office of the Senior Public Prosecutor and the Regional Court for Civil Matters in Vienna.

![](https://wien.noe-3d.at/SF/loewe_justizpalast.jpg)

3D scan of a skeleton cast of the *Diplodocus carnegii*. These dinosaurs roamed North America 150 million years ago, during the Morrison formation in the Jurassic. 

This cast was gifted to Emperor Franz Joseph I in 1909 from the American tycoon Mr. Andrew Carnegie. The original skeleton of “Dippy” is mounted in the Carnegie Museum of Natural History in Pittsburg, PA, USA.

The *Diplodocus* skeleton is the biggest exhibit at the NHM Vienna and Number 29 of the NHM Top 100. It can be found in Hall 10.

**Specimen**: *Diplodocus carnegii* Hatcher, 1901

**Inventory number**: NHMW-GEO-1909/0004/0003

**Origin**: Sheep Creek, Wyoming, USA

**Collection**: NHMW, Geology & Paleontology Dept., Vertebrate Coll. (curator: Ursula Göhlich)

Find out more about the NHMW [here](http://www.nhm.at/en).

Scanned by Robin Koger, Manuel Preslmayr, Rayyan Salem Ahmed, Viola Winkler & Anna Haider (NHM Wien)

Edited by A. Haider and V. Winkler

Scanner: Artec Leo. Infrastructure funded by the FFG.

3D model updated on 26.6.2024

Diplodocus carnegii (NHMW-GEO-1909/0004/0003)

3D scan of a trumpeter swan (*Cygnus buccinator*), which is the largest native water bird in Northern America and has been widespread there. These birds are around 1.5 meters long, with a wingspan of more than 2 meters. Trumpeter swans got their vernacular name due to their trumpet-like calls. This also reflects the scientific species name derived from "buccinare" – to trumpet. 

The exhibited specimen originates from the Tiergarten Nürnberg and came to the NHM Vienna in 1978.

This trumpeter swan can be found in Hall 30 of the Natural History Museum Vienna.

**Specimen**: *Cygnus buccinator* Richardson, 1832 

**Inventory number**: NHMW-ZOO-VS-75374

**Collection**: Natural History Museum Vienna, 1st Zoological Dept., Bird Coll. (curator: Swen Renner)

Find out more about the NHM Vienna [here](http://www.nhm-wien.ac.at/en).

Scanned and edited by Anna Haider and Viola Winkler (NHMW)

Scanner: Artec Leo. Infrastructure funded by the FFG.

Trumpeter Swan (NHMW-ZOO-VS-75374)

Female angel with a rose in the right hand. Behind it a cross. The angel is located at the Vienna Central Cemetery.

Grabfigur

Griffin on the base of a flagpole in front of the Parliament in Vienna.

Greif

3D scan of a taxidermized specimen of a Cuban Macaw, or Tricolored Macaw (*Ara tricolor*). This parrot species was native to Cuba and the neighboring island of Pines, before they were driven to extinction in the 2nd half of the 19th century. The use of *Ara tricolor* as food and pets and the deforestation of their habitat may have contributed to their extinction. 

This bird mount is not visible in the exhibition of the museum – it is part of the scientific bird collection of the NHM Vienna that holds more than 130,000 objects. 

Halls 29 to 32 of the NHM Vienna display many other bird specimens and species. 

**Specimen**: *Ara tricolor* (Bechstein, 1811)

**Inventory number**: NHMW-ZOO-VS-50.796

**Collection**: Natural History Museum Vienna, 1st Zoological Dept., Bird Coll. (curator: Swen Renner)

Find out more about the NHMW [here](http://www.nhm-wien.ac.at/en).

Scanned and edited by Anna Haider & Viola Winkler (NHMW)

Scanner: Artec Space Spider. Infrastructure funded by the FFG.

Cuban Macaw (NHMW-ZOO-VS-50.796)

Christ statue of the forest devotion by Angelo Bortolotti in the 2nd district of Vienna.

After the opening of the Prater in 1766, people settled on the edge of the Prater. In 1862 an elementary school was opened. The principal attached an image of the Virgin Mary to a large tree in 1863 because the nearest church was far away. Franz Plankenbüchler was an innkeeper and ran a restaurant at Freudenauer Dammhafen. Franz, a deeply religious man, often crossed himself before the image of the Virgin Mary during his walks. In 1911, he decided to erect a statue of the Virgin Mary in a good spot nearby. This was the beginning of today's place of pilgrimage, which also includes a church (Maria Grün) since 1924.

Christusfigur

Sphinx in the garden of Belvedere Palace in Vienna.

![](https://wien.noe-3d.at/SF/belvedere_sphinx.jpg)

Sphinx

Grave figure in the form of an angel at the Vienna Central Cemetery. The female angel has her right hand raised, in her left hand is a palm branch as a symbol of eternal life.

Triton and Naiad Fountain on Maria Theresien Square in Vienna. The fountain sculpture made of Carrara marble dates from 1890 and stands on a stylized rock formation. This fountain and another similar one were made by Anton Schmidgruber. A total of four of these fountains are located on the lawns between the Natural History and Kunsthistorisches Museum.

![](https://wien.denkmal-3d.at/SF/najadenbrunnen01.jpg)

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