The Phyletic Museum, founded by Ernst Haeckel, is a unique institution worldwide. From the very beginning, it has not only been a natural history museum, but above all a place where the development of life is brought closer to general understanding. The presentation of phylogenesis (phylogenetic history) and the theory of evolution, together with the encounter between art and nature, is still the main concern of the museum today.

The Art Nouveau building, which is itself a cultural monument, bears the terms „Phylogeny“ and „Ontogeny“, coined by Haeckel in Jena, on its pediment. The Phyletic Museum was built from foundation funds, the foundation stone was laid on Goethe's birthday in 1907 and on July 30, 1908, Haeckel donated the building to the university on the occasion of its 350th anniversary.

Today, the museum is part of the Institute of Special Zoology and Evolutionary Biology at the University of Jena. It houses extensive zoological-palaeontological collections with over 500,000 specimens. The history of the collection dates back to the 18th century. Original pieces from the time when Goethe was head of the anatomical-zoological collection can still be found today.

The Phyletic Museum welcomes over 300 school classes and 20,000 visitors every year. Thanks to the support of many sponsors, nineteen special exhibitions have been presented since 1995.