Hello Hivers!
Today is the time for Part 2 of our trip to Ruse. I will tell you in particular about a place that impressed me a lot, namely the Ecomuseum. If you missed the first part you can click on the link below:
Explore Ruse - Part 1 ⭐ Danube River and National transport museum
After lunch we decided to head to the eco-museum, which looked promising. It is located near the center and can be easily reached on foot. Right next to it is the Regional History Museum. So if you have time you can combine and visit both places.
Ecomuseum
The Ecomuseum is a natural science museum in Ruse and is the only one of its kind in Bulgaria. It is located in a building built in the early twentieth century. The exposition is really impressive and diverse and is located on four floors.
First floor
On the first floor there are two large exhibitions. One is of stuffed animals, typical for the Bulgarian fauna. Animals, especially birds inhabiting riparian regions, predominated. The variety was huge and we saw many species for the first time. There is also a very interesting interactive board, which has information about each species. So anyone who is interested can sow acquaintance in detail. We saw different species of pelicans, storks, herons, eagles and many other small and large birds.
The second presentation was impressive. It is of prehistoric species. As soon as you enter, you meet a mammoth in real size. Mammoths are an extinct species of mammal. They lived in the period from about 4.5 million to 10-12 thousand years ago in Europe, Asia and North America. They reached 5.5 m in height and weighed up to 10-12 tons.
Numerous parts of the mammal's lower jaw and mammoth molars, mastodon's lower jaw, femurs, tusks, vertebrae, cave bear's skull and others have been preserved. I am really amazed at the size of these animals. I still can't figure out their size, and I can't imagine that many years ago such species roamed the earth freely.
In this part are located hundreds of fossils of various mollusks - nautilus and others. It is interesting to learn more about these small but so diverse species.
Second floor
A number of animals are also on display on the second floor of the museum. Forest species predominate here. Again, through an innovative and interactive way you can meet an owl, fox, scorpion, rabbit and others. Rows of birds, deer, roe deer, wild boars, mousetraps, bats and others are on display.
I was impressed by the Egyptian vulture. It is distributed in Europe, Africa and Asia and inhabits steppes, semi-deserts, deserts and rocky areas. It used to be a widespread species, but today it is globally endangered. It is one of the fastest endangered birds on the planet. They are known as the 'sanitarians' of nature. They prevent the accumulation of toxins and remove potential disease reservoirs and ensure the stability of ecosystems. It is a pity that the numbers are declining so drastically.
The Egyptian vulture
On this floor there is a 15-meter model of Orlova Chuka Cave and Ivanovo Rock Monastery. The cave is located near Ruse on the river Rusenski Lom. From the entrance there is a view of the nature park "Rusenski Lom" and the beautiful rock landmarks around.
Ivanovo rock-hewn churches are located near the village of Ivanovo, 18 km from the town of Ruse. There is a variety of small rock churches and chapels carved at different heights in the rocks of the picturesque canyon of the river Rusenski Lom. The site is a famous tourist site and is part of the UNESCO World Heritage List.
Third floor
The third floor is smaller. There are various old objects on display - a model of the first railway line in Bulgaria Ruse-Varna, the first map of Bulgaria and others. There is a collection of scales on display - from the smallest to the largest. The variety here is huge again and people who like retro things will definitely like it.
Underground floor
We left the most interesting part for last. This is the underground floor where the aquarium is located. It is the largest freshwater aquarium in Bulgaria. There are different species typical of rivers - sturgeon, catfish and many others. You can also see different types of turtles. And for everyone there is a department where you can learn to make different knots. There is also a terrarium on this floor. Those who are afraid do not go there, but those who do see a number of snakes, iguanas and other reptiles. And here you can find information about each of them and take pictures. Most snakes were not poisonous, but still if you are afraid do not go there.
On the way out of the museum we bought magnets and souvenir coins. We were really impressed with the place and we would definitely do it again. I think it will be interesting and fun for everyone.
After the museum we walked around the center and ate ice cream before heading home.
Hope you like and enjoyed this journey! I am glad to here your opinion in comments :)