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Natural History Museum in Lviv: Mammoth, Collections and Tips

Leo Apartment
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Classicist façade of the Natural History Museum at 18 Teatralna Street in Lviv, with columns and exhibition banners

The Natural History Museum in Lviv is one of the oldest natural history museums in Ukraine, open to visitors since 1870. It was founded by Count Volodymyr Dzieduszycki, an ornithologist and collector, and today it is a research institution of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine.

Its stores hold hundreds of thousands of specimens, and the most famous are a mammoth skeleton and a woolly rhinoceros from Starunia. Here is what to see and how to plan your visit.

Where the Museum Is

The museum is at 18 Teatralna Street, in the centre of Lviv. The Garrison Church stands on the same street, and Rynok Square is a few minutes’ walk away.

History of the Museum

Count Volodymyr Dzieduszycki created the museum in 1869 from his own collections of birds, minerals and insects. He headed it until 1899, and 1870 is considered its official start, when the collections were arranged on scientific principles and opened to the public.

In the late 20th century the building fell into disrepair, and the museum was closed to visitors for almost twenty years. After reconstruction the National Academy of Sciences reopened it in 2012.

Mammoth skeleton with tusks suspended on metal rods in a hall of the Natural History Museum in Lviv
The mammoth skeleton stands in the middle of the Ice Age hall.

What to See

  • The Ice Age. A mammoth skeleton and a woolly rhinoceros found in Starunia in the Carpathian foothills, along with Pleistocene plant and animal remains.
  • Dzieduszycki’s collections. Birds, minerals and the founder’s collections, kept for more than 150 years.
  • Insects. Collections of butterflies and beetles over a century old.
  • Nature of Western Ukraine. The region’s flora and fauna in the museum’s displays.
Mummified woolly rhinoceros from Starunia in a glass case at the Natural History Museum in Lviv
Rhino No. 1 was found in Starunia on 6 November 1907 at a depth of 17.6 m, the world’s first mummified woolly rhinoceros found outside permafrost.
Display case with ten woolly rhinoceros skulls and deer antlers above it at the Natural History Museum in Lviv
A case of woolly rhinoceros skulls.

How to Visit

Admission is paid. Opening hours and ticket prices change, so check them on site or on the museum’s official social media before your visit.

Figure of a Cro-Magnon man in fur clothing beside mammoth bones in the Natural History Museum in Lviv
Cro-Magnons, hunters of mammoths and deer, appeared in Europe about 40,000 years ago.
Tusks and molars of mammoths and elephants in a display case at the Natural History Museum in Lviv
Tusks and teeth of mammoths and ancient elephants in the “Mammoths and Elephants” case.

Tips

  • For families with children. The mammoth and the rhinoceros impress adults and schoolchildren alike.
  • Allow an hour. That is enough to see the exhibition at a relaxed pace.
  • A rainy-day plan. A museum in the centre fits easily into a day when the weather is not right for walking.

Another science museum a few minutes away is the “Under the Black Eagle” Pharmacy Museum, Lviv’s oldest working pharmacy.

Large whale skull on a stand in the Antarctica hall of the Natural History Museum in Lviv
A whale skull in the hall devoted to Antarctica (October 2026).

Where to Stay Nearby

Our apartment on Danyla Halytskoho Square is about a 5-minute walk from the Natural History Museum.

See more options in our apartments for rent in Lviv section.

Planning a trip? Book an apartment in Lviv directly, with no intermediaries or commission, and stay close to the city centre.

FAQ about the Natural History Museum

Where is the Natural History Museum?

At 18 Teatralna Street, in the centre of Lviv.

Who founded the museum?

Count Volodymyr Dzieduszycki; the museum opened to visitors in 1870.

What is most interesting in the museum?

The mammoth skeleton and the woolly rhinoceros from Starunia, plus the bird and insect collections.

Is it interesting for children?

Yes, the mammoth and the rhinoceros are schoolchildren’s favourite exhibits.

How long does a visit take?

About an hour.

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