The Former Prefecture, the current Museum of Natural Sciences

The Former Prefecture, the current Museum of Natural Sciences is an architectural monument of local interest, situated on 43 “Alexandru Ioan Cuza” Street (Code LMI – BT-II-m-B-01970).

The baroque building dates from 1887, while the museum was set up in 1953 through the efforts of a group of professors. The building was designed by French architects to house the Prefecture of the former Dorohoi County.

The museum accommodates 17 exhibition halls, 9 of which are dedicated to Natural History exhibits, and 8 to galleries of contemporary art, within the Museum of Decorative Arts. These include paintings as well as glass and porcelain exhibits made in 1985 at the glass factory in Dorohoi.

The museum comprises natural exhibits from all systematic groups: minerals, plants, molluscs, fish, birds and mammals. The collection of rare exotic lepidoptera (butterflies) belonging to the pharmacist Wilhelm Weber, and the entomological collection belonging to professor Ioan Nemeș, considered to be the third in the country in terms of scientific value – including approximately 105,000 specimens of butterflies from all the regions of Romania, as well as from various areas of the world – are just a few of the exhibits.
The collection of autochthonous and exotic birds from Africa and not only, belonging to professor Rang Cătălin, can also be admired in this museum. Remarkable specimens such as the Horned lark, the Snow bunting or the Red-crested pochard can also be viewed.

Wonderful specimens of live exotic birds and fish, which give life to the entire natural setting of the museum, are also found among the exhibits.