"Grigore Antipa" National Museum of Natural History originates in the National Museum of Natural History and Antiquities of Bucharest, founded on the 3rd of November 1834, by the Deed 142, signed by the Prince Alexandru Ghica. The initiative belonged to the Great Ban Mihalache Ghica, minister of the Internal Affairs and the Prince's brother, the first donor of the museum.
First of all, when it was sheltered by the "Sf. Sava" College and led by Carol Wallenstein de Wella, Austrian of Croatian origin, drawing teacher of the college, during 1837-1859, the museum had an educational role.
Under the co-ordination of the new director, the Italian taxidermist Carlo Ferreratti (1860-1867) a period of collection enriching started, both by acquisitions and donations from our country or from abroad. In 1859, museum collections were moved in residence Hiotu, near "Sf. Sava" College, and in 1864 in three halls of the left wing of the Palace of Academy, which was to become later the building of the University of Bucharest.
In 1867, university professor Gregoriu Stefanescu was appointed director, and added to the 4,000 zoological and mineral exhibits new collections of geology and paleontology. He is the one who discovered the skeleton of the fossil elephant Deinotherium gigantissimum, in the Meotian sands of Moldavia, unique in the world and one of the most valuable exhibits of the museum.

In 1893, Take Ionescu, minister of Culture and Public Education, appointed Dr. Grigore Antipa director of the Department of Zoology of the museum, immediately after he had finished his studies in Germany. The 2,038 zoological pieces, left after the fire from the University from the 24th of March 1884, were moved in a hired building from Polona Street, in 1894, which soon became insufficient as a result of Grigore Antipa's efforts to acquire new pieces for the museum. That is why, in 1903, Grigore Antipa took the necessary steps for the construction of a new special building, for "a museum of natural history worthy of the capital of the country".

Within 1904-1906, under direct Grigore Antipa's guidance, the building "from the avenue" was constructed, the present residence of the museum (now architecture monument).
The plans were made by engineer Mihail Roco, and the front side was drawn by the architect Grigore Cerchez. On the building gable there was the statuary group representing the Science of Zoology, made by the sculptor Dimitrie Paciurea and destroyed by the 1940 earthquake. It is the first building from Romania of the very beginning of the 20th century, especially constructed for a museum.
On 24th of May 1908, in the presence of the king Carol I, of the royal family, of the ministers and president of Romanian Academy, Anghel Saligny, took place the opening of the Museum of Zoology in the new building. Sixteen halls, where the very first biogeographical dioramas of the world ("Sahara Desert", "African Savannah", "American Prairie", and "Arctic Tundra") were displayed, could be visited. Later, they became models for the other similar institutions of the world: Berlin, Paris, New-York, Sankt Petersburg.
In 1914, when other 11 halls with other exhibits belonging to the natural sciences fields were added, a new inscription appeared on the gable: "Muzeul Naţional de Istorie Naturala" ("National Museum of Natural History").
On 23rd of May 1933, on the occasion of an anniversary session, the King Carol II decided that the museum had to bear the name of his organizer, Dr. Grigore Antipa, so paying him a homage. Grigore Antipa led the museum till 1944, when he passed away.
Being a visionary spirit, Grigore Antipa made a modern museum, both by his was of displaying the exhibits and by the importance he gave to such an institution.
Within April 1944 – September 1949 the museum was rehabilitated (after the 1940 earthquake but also after the 1944 air raids) and also reorganized under Professor Constantin MotaS' co-ordination.
The museum was led subsequently by the professors Bernard Schnapp (1951-1955), Alexandru Grossu (1955-1957), Mihai Ionescu (1957-1959), Petre Raicu (1959-1961) and Mircea Ionescu-Varo (1961-1964), who shared their time between the educational activity, at the chairs of the Faculty of Biology of the University of Bucharest, and that of the museum management.

In 1964, Dr. Mihai Bacescu was appointed leader of the museum, and due to him the museum knew a significant progress in scientifical research, collection enriching and diversification of the educational activities.
Grigore Antipa's wish of organizing a museum which has to be an institute of research of Romania, as well as an educational element for the general public is carried on continuously by the specialists of the museum, led by Dr. Dumitru Murariu, correspondent member of the Romanian Academy, since 1988. Strongly damaged by time, but mainly by air raids and earthquakes, the building of the museum which shelters an extraordinary patrimony was rehabilitated during 1997-2005. The museum, reopened for the general public, met its visitors "in a new coat" with a public exhibition with an attractive new design and with new themes (abyssal geysers, meteorites, trovants, fluorescent minerals, giants and dwarfs of the invertebrate animal world, life origin on Earth).

Museum collections.
By those almost 2 million specimens (some of them of microscopic size), grouped in over 130 types of collections, "Grigore Antipa" Museum has a very rich and diversified patrimony.
Museum has zoological collections of most of the invertebrate and vertebrate animal groups (including fossils) and also collections of comparative anatomy, geology (minerals and rocks), ethnography and anthropology, dioramas and biogroups.

After 1989 December, collections enriched continuously by the material collected during the field trips all around Romania and during the expeditions organized by the museum in Indonesia (1991) and Brazil (1994). Together with "Oceanic Club" from Constanta, "Grigore Antipa" Museum participated to 2 expeditions in the Mediterranean area, in 2005-2006. Zoological material exchanges, studies on collections which belong to some institutions from USA, Great Britain, France, Brazil, Austria, Italy, Australia, Israel, the Netherlands and so on,made by the worldwide known specialists of the museum, as well as valuable donation increased the patrimony of the museum.