A new museum era has begun in Miskolc
The Pannon Sea Museum enlivens the life of the city
MúzeumCafé 40.
The two recently opened permanent exhibitions of the Pannon Sea Museum, a new section of the Ottó Herman Museum in Miskolc, could give an impetus to the world of Hungary’s natural history museums, which otherwise are struggling with a variety of crises. The development is due to an internationally significant collection of finds, and since finance appeared following a tender app-lication a new building wing and exhibition were born, which are very appropriate in terms of the scientific legacy of Ottó Herman, the museum’s eponym, who died 100 years ago. The main guardian of the polymath’s name and memory is the former county, now town museum, the legal predecessor of which was founded in 1899. In 2007 remains of Miocene-age bald cypress trees were found in the Bükkábrány lignite mine which, beyond the curiosity factor and their international scientific value, led to the creation of the Ottó Herman museum’s new natural history exhibition. Excavation, conservation and final custody of four of the 16 trees was the task of the then Ottó Herman county museum. Exhibition of the cypress trees was facilitated by a European Union tender, which the museum won in 2010. Non-returnable financial support amounted to around 369 million forints, enough to cover 85% of total costs. Unusually, before building work began the museum had to conduct archaeological explorations of its own territory. The colourful natural history exhibition can be accessed from the wing to the north of the room housing the trees as well as the one to the south. In fact, the Pannon Sea Museum doesn’t only concentrate on the cypress trees – in focus is a presentation of the Miocene Age, which lasted from 23 million to 5.3 million years ago. The Pannon Sea Museum has thus become a diverse exhibition of natural history.