Zoo and the Museum of Nature in Split were donated to the city due to the beginning of the XX century, several valuable natural collections. Professor Umberto Dzhirometta in 1923 raised the question of the creation of the Museum of Natural History. The city council of Split took the matter to the Review and in 1924 founded the first museum and Dzhirometta became its leader until his death in 1939.

In the first years of its existence, the museum was located in one of the municipal buildings in the city center. Soon the space was not enough, and the museum was moved to one of the buildings of the park Marjan. Along with the museum opened a small zoo, representing some species of native and exotic animals. For the first in the former Yugoslavia Aquarium next to the building of the museum was built additional space. Several years later, the Oceanarium was closed and converted into a small cage. Today in Split Zoo has over 300 species of animals.

The building in the park Marjan on the hostilities in 1991 was closed for security reasons. Then, the museum moved into the fortress Gripe, and after 1997 he returned to Marian. After 2000, at the request of employees to the needs of the Museum has been allocated a new space, with a total area of ​​about 1156 square meters, in which the Museum began work in January 2002.

Before the opening of the new director of the museum was reorganized museum collections and recounted several new exposures (eg, collection of stuffed animals and birds, the department of geology and paleontology, entomology, Department of vertebrates and invertebrates, etc.). Were also carried out work on the processing and systematization of the exhibits, fieldwork in the central part of Dalmatia, numerous exhibitions at the museum and outside it. In addition, the museum staff involved in numerous scientific conferences.

On the ground floor of the museum hosts a variety of exhibitions, and on the other floors house the permanent exhibition. Anyone can buy the museum additional materials on the history of the museum and local natural history.