Guide of National Ethnography and Natural History Museum launched in Moldova

Chisinau, 19 September /MOLDPRES/ – The National Museum of Ethnography and Natural History (MNEIN) has launched, on Thursday, 19 September, the Guide of Museum, within a press conference, dedicated to the 130th anniversary of the founding of institution.

The director of institution, Petru Vicol, has presented the programme of anniversary events that will take place in September – October. He has mentioned that, on 22 September, it will be organised the Fair of folk craftsmen and local producers in the court of institution. The event will be attended by 35 local craftsmen and local producers: Vasili Goncear, Zaharia and Adrian Triboi, Maria Cristea, Ecaterina Popescu, Victor Pelin, Eugenia Moldovanu etc.

"On 24 October, we shall invite all friends of museum to a festive meeting, during which we shall talk about the past, present, but also about future of this beautiful institution. During the event, we shall present to public a fundamental work dedicated to the museum history, authors being Mihai Ursu and Constantin Ciobanu, and then we shall open the exhibition with generic: MNEIN – 130 years of national history and culture. We shall exhibit the first pieces entered in the patrimony of museum in 1889, as well as the documentary testimony about evolution of institution so far”, said the head of institution.

Petru Vicol has also said that the Guide of museum, IInd issue, revised and completed, author – Mihai Ursu, has appeared at the Publishing House Lexon – Prim, contains landmarks from the history of Ist public museum in Bessarabia, presenting its directions of modern activity, subsidiaries and most valuable heritage collections, as well as a complete guide to permanent exhibition: Nature. Man. Culture. The new issue of the volume was supplemented with info on the achievements of institution over the last decade, new images of important heritage pieces. The paper appeared in a print run of 1500 copies.

Attending the event, the Secretary of State for Culture, Victoria Nagy Vajda, has specified that MNEIN is the most important museum in Moldova, and this guide should also reach the public and school libraries in Moldova.

At his turn, the author of work, Mihai Ursu, has said that this guide arose from the need to satisfy the public with info on institution, about the heritage pieces it owns. Also, scientific researcher, Varvara Buzila, has specified that this guide is a compulsory instrument in the activity of institution, and MNEIN is the only museum institution in Moldova that has such a guide.

According to Petru Vicol, MNEIN is a cultural and scientific symbol of Moldova, and the building specially constructed for museum, in 1903 – 1905, represents an architectural masterpiece in the historical centre of the city. The institution has a rich history and an exceptional ethnographic and natural heritage, founded immediately after the closing of the Agricultural and Industrial Exhibition in Bessarabia, organised on 24 – 25 October 1889. The museum appeared at the initiative of President of Zemstvei Gubernia Basarabia, and first director of the of the museum, Baron Alexandru Stuart, which wanted to create a collection of exhibits displayed permanently to public near the institution of Zemstva. Throughout its 130 years of history, the museum has experienced many inclinations and challenges, as well as remarkable successes and achievements.