Museum of Natural History, Parma
Museum of Natural History (Museo di Storia Naturale) in Parma is a huge zoological collection that has been accumulated during almost three centuries. And there are many exhibits here not only from the local province or Italy, but also from the African continent. The institution will be the most interesting for school-age children.
History of the museum
Initially, the collection was conceived as a court museum of the Bourbon family Dukes, the rulers of Parma. It was founded in 1766 by French ornithologist J. B. Fourcault. He was part of the cabinet of natural history, later transformed into the Institute of Zoology, at the University of Parma. In different years it was headed by such famous zoologists as Pellegrino Strobel, Ludovico Di Caporiacco, Bruno Schreiber, Angelo Andres. Thanks to the latter they opened a huge permanent exhibition for visitors in the museum in 1925. In 1988, the museum set up a branch in the botanical garden, thus expanding the exhibition space. In the early 21st century the museum was reorganized according to modern requirements, it became a great visiting spot for the most diverse categories of the population.
Exposition of the museum
The museum has permanent zoological exhibitions, and the ethnographic collection was modestly joined to it. Here, academic didactic activities are conducted regularly, as well as scientific research in the field of ecological zoology and etiology. Now the museum is divided into two parts. The first – its old core – is still located in the university building. It includes the following sections:
- Vittorio Bottego Hall. A huge zoological collection gathered in the African state of Eritrea in 1889-1891. Also, a researcher from Parma gathered a considerable ethnographic exhibition from this exotic country.
- Emilio Piola Hall. This scientist, who is originally from Parma, worked in Africa in the late 19th century. The museum features a small ethnographic collection from the Congo: weapons, agricultural and musical instruments.
- Sistematica Gallery. The biological diversity of the world of the vertebrate animals is fully shown here: from fish to mammals.
A more modern part of the museum is located in the premises of the Botanical Garden. It houses a permanent exposition dedicated to the natural history of the local area. In the halls of the museum there are paleontological exhibitions with fossils, mainly from the province of Parma. There is also a small but very interesting ethnographic exhibition, again from the Republic of the Congo. Only this time it was collected by Temistocle Ferrante in the early 20th century. It presents mundane items, tools and weapons, as well as ceremonial blades, hooks and chains.
How to get there
The main part of the museum is located in the historical center of Parma, on Str. dell'Università, 12. In the next street there is a bus stop Via Mazzini, which can be reached by routes 1, 2, 2N, 3, 4, 4N, 5, 8. The second part of the museum is 10 minutes walk from the first, on Str. Farini, 90. Next to it there is a stop Barriera Farini Orto Botanico, which can be reached by bus route 15.
Opening hours: slightly different in two parts of the museum:
- The university part is open on Tuesday and Thursday from 15:00 to 18:00, on Wednesday from 10:00 to 13:00. Phone number: (+39) 0521033430.
- The part in the Botanical Garden is open from Tuesday to Friday, from 9:00 to 13:00 and from 15:00 to 18:00. Phone number: (+39) 0521903430.
Free admission.
