Museum of Natural History of Tatarstan

The Museum of Natural History of Tatarstan is a museum of geology, paleontology and the history of the Earth inside the Kazan Kremlin, housed in the 19th-century building of the former Junker (cadet) School at 12 Sheinkman Passage. It is part of the Kazan Kremlin Museum-Reserve, and locals also call it the natural science museum or simply the "dinosaur museum" for the skeletons of ancient animals on its upper floor.

The building and the museum

The museum occupies two floors of the three-storey former Junker School. Its twelve halls follow the order of events: from the origin of the Universe and the Earth to minerals, the first forms of life and the evolution of vertebrates up to the appearance of humans. It is the only museum and educational centre in the Volga region that tells the geological history of the planet as a whole.

The subject is close to home: the area around Kazan is a reference region for rocks of the Permian period, and the Permian takes a noticeable place in the museum's story.

What to see

The ground floor is about space and the Earth's interior. There is a collection of meteorites, an interactive telescope and "cosmic scales" that show what you would weigh on other planets, a working model of a mud volcano and an interactive borehole showing the rocks that make up the crust. The "Minerals of the Earth" hall displays faceted crystals and polished slices of minerals from around the world. Further halls cover hypotheses about the origin of life, the planet's earliest inhabitants and the first stages of vertebrate evolution.

The upper floor is given to paleontology. The evolution of vertebrates is traced from the first fish to humans, and the exhibits include skeletons and reconstructions of dinosaurs, a mammoth, a woolly rhinoceros and a cave bear. Many exhibits can be touched and the halls have interactive stations, which makes the museum a popular choice for families with children.

Beyond the displays, the museum runs guided tours, lectures, workshops, quests and quizzes for all ages, along with creative clubs and studios.

Getting there

The nearest metro station is Kremlyovskaya. From there it is a short walk into the Kremlin and to the Junker School building. The museum entrance is the second doorway of the building.

Good to know

Admission is paid, with discounts for students and pensioners; according to ticket sellers, children visiting individually get in free. An audio guide is available. The ticket office closes 30 minutes before the museum does. Prices and opening hours change, so check the Kazan Kremlin Museum-Reserve website before you go.