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Zoological Museum Cluj-Napoca, Cluj

The surprising "Little Antipa" from Cluj

Where to find it, when to visit, how much is admission?

  • We were looking for an interesting objective in Cluj, both for our daughter Denisa (10) and for us, and as much as possible less known / publicized. Thus we found out about Zoological Museum Cluj-Napoca. We arrived here a few days after the (re)opening of the museum on June 1, 2021. We inquired about the opening hours and prices and here is what was available on that date:
    • Open Tuesday to Friday from 10am to 4pm, Saturday and Sunday from 10am to 2pm; there are 2 breaks of 15 minutes at 9:45am and 1:00pm.
    • The admission fee is 8 lei for a full ticket and 4 lei for a reduced ticket. Access is free for people with disabilities and UBB students.

    The Cluj Zoological Museum is part of the Babes Bolyai University (UBB), Faculty of Biogeology and Geology. The exact address is: Clinicilor street 5-7, Cluj-Napoca. As a landmark you can take the Emil Racovita Institute of Speleology, which is located in the backyard, and follow the alley that starts from Clinicilor street. The Vivarium is part of the same museum complex, closed at the time of our visit.

Emil Racoviță

Short history

Zoological Museum was founded in 1859 as a section of the Ardelean Museum. Over time it has increased the number of exhibits both with specimens of our country's fauna and with species living in other countries. Today it occupies 700 square meters and can be visited for educational / didactic purposes by pupils and students. I would love a zoology class held in such a space and decor.

Added value of collections

Zoological Museum It also hosts 4 valuable collections: 2 of lepidoptera, 1 of orthopterans and 1 of arachnids.

The first collection of lepidoptera numbers more than 400 butterflies from 14 families and was "collected" by Jeannel 100 years ago, a scientist who studied the fauna of our caves. A second collection of butterflies, scientifically valuable, is due to Franzenau, is over 150 years old, is the oldest collection of its kind in Romania and has over 1600 specimens.

From Hermann come two 19th century collections. The one of orthopterans (over 600 insects, e.g. crickets, crickets) and the one of arachnids (over 600 spiders) preserved in alcohol.

1. Small invertebrates and vertebrates

When I stepped into the first exhibition hall I made the association with the famous Antipa in Bucharest. We were in "the same movie".

The organization of the exhibits is "from small to large". The first room is mainly dedicated to invertebratesbut "grows" towards small vertebrates. It features sponges, corals, crabs, shells, snails, octopuses, spiders, fish, starfish, crocodiles, snakes and more. Some of the specimens are preserved in alcohol / formalin. A special subgroup is that of butterflies, insects. Many of them are particularly spectacular and interesting. In spite of such a great diversity of exhibits, my attention was captivated, becoming curious to look at the exhibits and marvel at the life on display.

hall of invertebrates and small vertebrates

shells

shells

corals

spiders

butterflies

starfish

crocodiles

2. Birds and mammals

The passage to the next large room is through a small connecting room with bird dioramas.

"The Next Dimension" is in the hall birds and mammals. Here we study eagles / birds of prey, dropia, owl, pelicans, dozens of types of bird eggs, deer, parrots, wolves, scarecrows, bears, peacocks, camel, jaguar, monkeys, tiger, wildcat, hedgehog, bats, marsh birds, others. The exhibits are present in showcases or presented integrated in the diorama, and the mammals are accompanied.

dropii

vultures

eggs

mammals

wolves

camila bactriana

mammals

arici

bats

Impress

Desi Zoological Museum Cluj-Napoca not comparable in size to its famous brother in Bucharest (Antipa Museum), we spent an exciting hour of zoology here, which Denise also liked a lot. I took many pictures, but I uploaded only a few, just to make you curious to visit this museum.

If you liked the little animals, you'll definitely want to enjoy the little pies here by visiting Botanical Garden. Don't miss a walk in Central Park.

And if you want to see what Cluj has to offer and take a tour of the city, click on the following link Cluj-Napoca Guide.

All the best!

Steps:

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