A MUSEUM housing historic collections of international importance opens to the public this weekend.

The Great North Museum, in Newcastle, is expected to become one of the region’s major tourist attractions after £26m worth of investment.

It has been closed for three years, but now combines exhibits from the original Hancock Museum, Newcastle University’s Museum of Antiquities, the Shefton Museum, and includes the university’s Hatton Gallery.

Steve McLean, senior manager of the Great North Museum, said: “People will be able to explore 350 million years of natural history and human evolution, and see breath-taking displays of world-class treasures which have been brought together under one roof.”

Highlights of the museum include a planetarium, a biowall displaying the diversity of life on Earth and a life-size replica Tyrannosaurus Rex skeleton.

There will also be mummies from Ancient Egypt and a rare collection of ancient Greek art and archaeology.

Animals from around the world make up the display of life on Earth, past and present, and highlight the diversity of the animal kingdom.

The Hadrian’s Wall Gallery displays exhibits from the entire length of the Roman structure and the single greatest collection of artefacts from the Hadrian’s Wall World Heritage Site.

Professor Paul Younger, from Newcastle University, is the chairman of the Great North Museum board.

He said: “The collections which have been brought together for the first time in this stunning redevelopment of the Hancock Museum are nothing short of astounding.

“From more than half a million items, 3,500 are on display in our new galleries, combining the fruits of the labours of Victorian scholars from the North-East of England with the very latest graphic technology.

“Not only is the result jawdroppingly impressive, it also unlocks the research potential of this world-class collection for generations to come.”

The development received a £8.75m grant from the Heritage Lottery Fund and financial backing from a range of supportive organisations.

The Great North Museum has been designed by Sir Terry Farrell, who grew up in Newcastle.

It the latest in a series of designs for Newcastle including the International Centre for Life and master plans for the Quayside and Newcastle University.

The museum opens to the public from Saturday and admission is free.