Treasury of the River

Welcome to the Treasury of the River! Here you are surrounded by animals that live in this region and you will learn all about the types of landscapes that occur here. Be amazed by the many animals we share this spot on the Waal with. Who knows, after your museum visit you might even spot these beautiful animals outside!

Most animals are quite shy and therefore do not like to come near people. Many of our animal neighbors thus remain invisible to us. In this permanent exhibition, you can see the diversity of species that live in the city, on the ridge, in the floodplains, and in the river. Wonderful, isn't it?

Wolf

Since May 2025, you can find an indigenous wolf (Canis lupus lupus) in this exhibition. A young male wolf that was hit on the A12 near Zevenaar in 2023. As a predator, the wolf is a species that tells us a lot about the health of the ecosystem. Our museum story focuses on the coexistence between humans, rivers, and nature. By presenting the wolf in our museum, we invite visitors to get to know this animal. To gain new insights. To reflect on what it really means to live together with the nature around us. The nature of which we ourselves are also a part.

Beaver

An icon of the river area is the beaver (Castor fiber). A large rodent that lives in small family groups near water. Beavers also live in the nature reserve in front of the museum: the Stadswaard. Beavers are real engineers when it comes to woodworking and waterworks. You can recognize their presence by fallen trees, trees with the bark stripped off, or a beaver lodge in the water. The latter appears as a pile of branches in the water.

Herbarium

Museum De Bastei also manages an extensive Herbarium, which is our plant collection. Unfortunately, we cannot display these plants in the museum because these items are too fragile. Curious about our Herbarium and other sub-collections such as Insects or Rocks, Minerals, and Fossils? Take a look at our online collection.

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