The building Mihail Kogalniceanu St 82 in Chisinau houses the "Muzeul Național de Etnografie și Istorie Naturală" (National Museum of Ethnography and Natural History).
It is the oldest museum in the Republic of Moldova. The entrance fee is only 10
MDL (Moldovan Lei), which is about € 0.52, plus a small optional fee if one wants to take
photos. Pupils have to pay 2 MDL and students 5 MDL. Numerous objects from a
wide variety of fields can be admired over several floors.
"Its history begins in 1889, when the Zemstva of Bessarabia organized
the first Agricultural and Industrial Exhibition, which was also the basis
for the foundation of the museum institution. Being the oldest museum in the
Republic of Moldova, its name has often been changed over the years. Today
it holds an enormous heritage of about 135 thousand exhibits.
The permanent exhibition operates under the title “Nature. Human.
Culture” with an area of over 2000 m².
The museum also has a Temporary Exhibition Hall, in which numerous
seminars, master classes and exhibitions take place, both from its own
heritage and from the heritage of other local museums and from abroad. The
exhibitions of handicrafts have become traditional and are organized every
year.
Folklore events, national and international competitions and
festivals are regularly held in the museum, showcasing folk creations from
all over the country.
On the territory of the museum there is also a Botanical Garden with
a Vivarium, which gathers the most widespread species of plants, trees and
shrubs from the Republic of Moldova, as well as exotic birds, reptiles and
fish.
The Museum building was designed by the architect V.N. Țiganco. The
construction was completed in 1905 and the inauguration took place in June
1906."
Source:
visit.chisinau.md/en/obiective_turistice/muzeul-national-de-etnografie-si-istorie-naturala/
"History
In October 1889, on the initiative of Baron Alexander Stewart, the first
agricultural exhibition of Bessarabia was held. This resulted first in a 'Museum
of Agriculture', then the 'Museum of Zoology, Agriculture and Crafts'. From 1926
the institution was called 'National Museum of Natural History Chisinau', from
1937 'Regional Museum of Bessarabia', from 1940 'Republican MSSR [Moldavian
Soviet Socialist Republic] Museum', from 1957
'State Museum of History and Local History' and from 1983 'State Museum of Local
History'. Since 1991 the museum has borne its present name. Despite the numerous
reorganizations in its history, the museum has preserved two specific themes -
the study of nature and culture of Bessarabia.
The museum building, which is still in use today, was built from 1903
to 1905 according to the plans of architect V. Tsyganko. Since its
foundation, the museum developed into an important scientific and cultural
center, which gained a certain notoriety not only in the Russian Empire, but
also in other European countries. In 1906 the first botanical garden of the
region was established near the museum building, which still exists today.
Being the oldest institution in its field, the National Museum of
Ethnography and Natural History participated in the establishment of most
other museums in Moldova. Thus, under the auspices of the museum, a museum
complex with a collection of Moldovan handicrafts was established in the
village of Ivancea in the Orhei rayon. However, due to financial
difficulties, this was closed again, and all that remains is the
half-renovated museum building.
Collections
In the museum there are geological, paleontological, zoological,
entomological, archaeological, ethnographic and numismatic collections. In
it there are many valuable and sometimes unique exhibits, such as a skeleton
of Deinotherium gigantissimus, archaeological findings from Moldavian
villages or a collection of carpets from the 18th, 19th and 20th centuries.
The museum has a scientific library and conducts its own research.
In 1994 the permanent exhibition 'Nature. Man. Culture' was opened,
dedicated to the relationship between man and nature at different stages of
history, the development of natural resources and ecological issues."
Translated from source:
de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nationalmuseum_für_Völkerkunde_und_Naturgeschichte