The building that houses the museum, located on Arkadiankatu and Pohjoinen Rautatiekatu in central Helsinki, was built in 1913. It was originally built for the Alexander Lyceum, a Russian-speaking cadet school, where the pupils were distinguished by their military-type uniforms.[1] The building was designed by two Russian architects, Lev P. Chichko and M.G. Chayko, and the architecture is unusually flamboyant, especially the main stairs. After Finnish independence in 1918 the building became a Finnish cadet school. When the school vacated the building in 1923 it was obtained by the University of Helsinki and converted for use as a zoological museum. Its first collections were based on donations to the University of Helsinki from a private society called Societas pro Fauna et Flora.
Spider infestationedit
The museum building has been infested with a population of Loxosceles laeta (Chilean recluse spider) since the early 1960s.[2] Though the species is considered by many to be the most dangerous of the venomous recluse spiders, there has been only one minor, non-fatal biting incident at the museum thus far. While ecologist Veikko Huhta theorized that the Chilean recluse first arrived in fruit shipments from Argentina, museum senior curator Jyrki Muona offers the alternative explanation that the spider arrived in wood chips used for a live rodent enclosure.
Exhibition displaysedit
The museum displays taxidermed animals, skeletons, remains of prehistoric animals, and minerals. The first floor houses a bone exhibition. In the upper floors are exhibitions of Finnish nature, the nature of the world, and the history of life. The moose statue in front of the museum has become the symbol of the museum. The lobby hall is dominated by a taxidermed African elephant. The museum also has a cafe and a souvenir shop. The total floor area of the museum is around 8,000 square metres (86,000 sq ft).
Referencesedit
^Kaija Hackzell, Helsingin vanhoja kortteleita 3, Helsingin Sanomat, Helsinki, 1988, pp.206-209.
^Henry Nicholls, "The museum filled with poisonous spiders that just won't die", BBC Future, April 14, 2016. Retrieved 2016-04-15.
natural, history, museum, helsinki, natural, history, museum, finnish, luonnontieteellinen, museo, swedish, naturhistoriska, museet, museums, under, directorship, finnish, museum, natural, history, part, university, helsinki, helsinki, finland, natural, histor. The Natural History Museum Finnish Luonnontieteellinen museo Swedish Naturhistoriska museet is one of the museums under the directorship of the Finnish Museum of Natural History part of the University of Helsinki in Helsinki Finland Natural History MuseumHelsingin luonnontieteellinen museoNatural History Museum HelsinkiEstablished1924LocationHelsinkiTypeNatural history museumWebsitewww wbr luomus wbr fi wbr english wbr Dinosaur skeletons in the museum Contents 1 History of the museum 1 1 Spider infestation 2 Exhibition displays 3 References 4 External linksHistory of the museum editThe building that houses the museum located on Arkadiankatu and Pohjoinen Rautatiekatu in central Helsinki was built in 1913 It was originally built for the Alexander Lyceum a Russian speaking cadet school where the pupils were distinguished by their military type uniforms 1 The building was designed by two Russian architects Lev P Chichko and M G Chayko and the architecture is unusually flamboyant especially the main stairs After Finnish independence in 1918 the building became a Finnish cadet school When the school vacated the building in 1923 it was obtained by the University of Helsinki and converted for use as a zoological museum Its first collections were based on donations to the University of Helsinki from a private society called Societas pro Fauna et Flora Spider infestation edit The museum building has been infested with a population of Loxosceles laeta Chilean recluse spider since the early 1960s 2 Though the species is considered by many to be the most dangerous of the venomous recluse spiders there has been only one minor non fatal biting incident at the museum thus far While ecologist Veikko Huhta theorized that the Chilean recluse first arrived in fruit shipments from Argentina museum senior curator Jyrki Muona offers the alternative explanation that the spider arrived in wood chips used for a live rodent enclosure Exhibition displays editThe museum displays taxidermed animals skeletons remains of prehistoric animals and minerals The first floor houses a bone exhibition In the upper floors are exhibitions of Finnish nature the nature of the world and the history of life The moose statue in front of the museum has become the symbol of the museum The lobby hall is dominated by a taxidermed African elephant The museum also has a cafe and a souvenir shop The total floor area of the museum is around 8 000 square metres 86 000 sq ft References edit Kaija Hackzell Helsingin vanhoja kortteleita 3 Helsingin Sanomat Helsinki 1988 pp 206 209 Henry Nicholls The museum filled with poisonous spiders that just won t die BBC Future April 14 2016 Retrieved 2016 04 15 External links editOfficial website 60 10 17 N 24 55 53 E 60 17139 N 24 93139 E 60 17139 24 93139 Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Natural History Museum of Helsinki amp oldid 1125358061, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
