Museum of Ethnography

Housed in a former customs warehouse designed by Giovanni Lucchini in 1826, this museum has one of the world’s largest natural history collections containing more than 100 000 specimens. It is also one of the oldest museum of the Northern Venice , as it was founded on the base of the Zoological Camber of Kunstkammer, moreover some of the stuffed animals used to belong to Peter the Great, including the horse he rode at the Battle of Poltava. The exposition represents exhibits that were found during the expeditions headed by N. Mikluho-Maklai, I. Kruzenshtern, F. Bellinsgausen. Dioramas atmospherically recreate natural habitats for giant crabs, weasels, polar bears and blue whales. All exhibits are organized in the systematic way. There is a special collection dedicated to Darwin’s theory of evolution. Hundreds thousands of typical specimens displayed in the museum are of special value as they represent the etalons of rare animals listed in the International Red Book or extinct animals. The museum is renowned for its huge collection of mammoths. Its gems are the mummified mammoths Dima and Masha, who died 40 thousand years.

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