The 10 Best Specialty Museums in Sakha (Yakutia) Republic, Far Eastern District

Reviewed By andrewmU2655XD

This museum is also known as the Institute of cryonics. It was constructed in 1967. It is dedicated to the study of Permafrost. The Museum can only be toured by contacting the museum in advance, and booking a tour. Tours may be done for individuals or groups. The individual price was 1,000 Ruble per person, plus an additional 250 Ruble for photography. Note that the tour is carried out by a researcher and is only in Russian, so a translator is a must to get the most out of this "once in a lifetime" experience. The Museum is 5 kilometers west of the city center, and may be reached by taking Bus # 17 from Lenin Square, but a local guide will probably be the best option. The museum is in an unassuming white building with a green roof. It is easily identifiable by the Woolly Mammoth statue in front of it. To the right of the Mammoth Statue is a bust of the founder of the museum, and it's most famous scientist Pavel Melnikov. His name is on the pedestal in Russian characters and the years 1908-1994, representing his lifetime.He is particularly famous for documenting the effects of permafrost on the construction of buildings and roads in Yakutsk. On entering the museum, you will notice a display of the temperature which was 35C (95F) when we visited. We were greeted by our guide, and taken to a "coat room" at the top of the four flights of stairs leading into the underground lab. We were given warm coats to wear, and our footwear was inspected. Boots are available if you do not have appropriate footwear, and are included in the cost of the tour. I would advise you to have sturdy footwear, as you will be walking on ice in the tunnels below. Before entering the tunnel, we viewed a display of a replica of Dima, a baby mammoth discovered in 1977 in the Siberian Region. The real carcass is now on display in St Petersburg. The Institute also once stored the head of a mammoth found in 2003. Just outside the tunnel doors was a leg bone of a woolly mammoth, We were allowed to lift this bone which was very heavy, and take photos with it. The tunnel is 30 meters in length, and the temperature at lowest will be -10C (14F). There is quite a few pieces of equipment which was used to determine the age of items found in the permafrost, and for the study of permafrost.A skull of a bison and musk osk was on display, and there were english explanations. It was fascinating being allowed to touch items which were up to 40,000 years old. There was also a storage area, of samples of items that were used in testing. We were given ancient petrified wood to hold, and were able to view the roots of the trees above which protruded through the icy walls in a few areas of the tunnel.Our favourite display here, was the woolly mammoth teeth, which were huge, and gave a better idea of the size of these mammals.At the end of the tunnels is a display of Father and Mrs Frost, the Russian version of Santa Claus and his wife. After the tour of the tunnel, we were led upstairs to the former office of Pavel Melnikov and a laboratory with many interesting displays.We found this part of the tour particularly interesting and informative.The displays included permafrost models of the earth layers,a model of the first well built in Yakutsk which discovered the existence of permafrost and many different types of equipment used in researching. We were told that the first well site was still in Yakutsk, but were unable to find it.The office of the founder is maintained as it was when he died, and gives an insight into the working environment of the time. We were particularly interested in the statue of Lenin to the left of his desk. This visit was one of the highlights of our trip to Yakutsk, and we left with a better knowledge of permafrost and the effects of global “warming on the environment. If you are travelling with teenagers, I would recommend this museum as a good family tour.