The Miracle of Nature: Biological Diversity of Slovakia
The exposition is located on the 2nd floor.
The artistic design and philosophy of this exposition is a continuation of the topic presented in the exposition The Miracle of Life – the Earth’s Biodiversity, which was opened to the general public in 2006. It is situated in four rooms with total area of 882 m2. The introduction presents the world of living nature, and the attractive pictures of the microworld of fauna and flora will catch your attention. Simple animation is used to illustrate the basic processes of photosynthesis and issues of the systematic classification of living organisms. Visitors will then be astonished by the size of a huge fish, the nearly six meter long beluga sturgeon, which was commonly sighted in Slovakia up to the early 20th century, but can no longer be found here today.
Dioramas showing dominant representatives of our flora were complemented and used for a faithful presentation of biotopes in accordance with the philosophy of the current exposition. New dioramas were added to the original ones, which along with the spatial installations in showcases, allow visitors to learn about the diversity of vegetation and fauna of the topographical areas of Slovakia – starting with the lowlands through the hills up to the highest heights of mountain ranges. Visitors will also have a chance to peek under the water’s surface, to wind their way through a maze of bizarre rock formations and to stroll through a forest.
The story of Slovak fauna biodiversity is fully developed in 30 showcases, where the representatives of individual species are presented within the framework of individual systematic groups (mollusks, crustaceans, insects, fish, amphibians, reptiles, birds, mammals). Their presentation is complemented by skeletons, bird nests and eggs, and traces of mammals.
The exposition features drawings of plant species by academic painter Jindřich Krejča, a renowned illustrator of popular science literature. The significant species of 32 biotopes appear on 30 backlit stands and complement the authentic botanical material of spatial installations in dioramas. Krejča’s illustrations are also used to complement showcases presenting animals.
The end of this exposition is dedicated to a presentation of the jewels of Slovak nature – our national parks and the principal ideas of environmental efforts. One of the goals of the designers was to point out the fragility and vulnerability of nature and the importance of conservation activities, and the mirror installed at the end of this exposition strives to show that humans are only one segment of the magical world of nature. The most supreme one? That’s a matter of opinion.
