This happened on the initiative of Coenraad Jacob Temminck, who saw the museum primarily as a research institute for the University of Leiden.
The location was originally a hofje called Hof van Zessen.
After that, there were a few opportunities for guided tours, attending lectures, and temporary exhibitions.
That came in 1986, when the so-called "National Presentation" in the field of natural history was commissioned by the Dutch government.
Planning began for a new building, which was completed in 1990 and launched in 1998 as "Naturalis".