26. The Natural History Museum

From the courtyard near Thalia Hall, a few dinosaurs will draw your attention. Some up to 8 meters tall, they are part of the educational and recreational exhibition of the Natural History Museum. On the facade of the building, you can see a Roman numeral MDCCCIXIV. Do you remember how to decipher it? (1894)
1849 is the year when a group of Saxon intellectuals, passionate about nature, set up the Transylvanian Society of Natural Sciences. In order to shelter and exhibit the growing collections of minerals, plants and stuffed or preserved animals, in 1894 they started the construction of a building dedicated to this purpose, with money donated by the members of the association.
Elements of the classicist style can be recognized on the exterior. The museum, organized on three levels, presents the evolution of the living world, from the simplest living things to birds. The interior of the building and especially the exhibitions are worth a visit. You have the opportunity to see very rare specimens, such as a polar owl from the Arctic, or mammoth fossils. The exotic butterfly species will surely impress you, the collection of Lepidoptera being the most spectacular.
As in this case, mountain hiking enthusiasts established the Transylvanian Carpathian Association, also known as the Transylvanian Carpathian Tourists Society, in 1880. The members of the association started marking the mountain trails and building chalets. During the same period, in 1879, the Society for the Beautification of the City of Sibiu was founded, whose members built, among other things, the city parks. All these initiatives demonstrate the continuation of the cult of community in the Saxon culture. What society would you start for your community?

🤔 Did you know?

🔍 The Transylvanian Carpathian Association was founded at the initiative of Dr. Karl Wolff, with the name “Siebenbürgische Karpatenverein” (S.K.V.). 480 men and 18 women joined.

🔍 Hypsilophodon, Tyranosaurus Rex, Tryceratops, Diplodocus and Velociraptor are the names of the dinosaur species in the museum yard. There is also a Pterosaurus. The tallest dinosaur is 8 meters high.

🔍 The Society for the Beautification of the City of Sibiu has also arranged the promenade and the park on Cetăţii street.