Vasile Vicol Lepidoptera Collection

Zoological Museum

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Orar

Monday | closed
Tuesday–Friday | 10:00 AM–04:00 PM
Saturday–Sunday | 10:00 AM–02:00 PM

Tarife

Adults | 20.00 lei
Schoolchildren, students, pensioners | 10.00 lei
Family ticket (2 adults + 1 child; free admission for all the other children) | 45.00 lei
BBU students and employees (based on their student ID card and work ID card, respectively), children under 3 years of age, and persons with disabilities | free entry

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Adresa

Clinicilor Street, no. 5–7, 400007, Cluj-Napoca

Google Map

Muzeografi

Dr. Cristian Sitar, museographer
Dr. Gergely Osváth, museographer

Email

zoologic.muzee@ubbcluj.ro

Telefon

+40 (0)264 598 700

SOCIAL

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About Vasile Vicol

Professor Vasile Vicol was born on March 28, 1933, in Războieni (Valea Albă), Neamț County. From 1951 to 1955, he attended the Faculty of Natural Sciences of the Victor Babeș University of Cluj. After graduating, he taught biology and geography at various schools in Mureș County and, later, in Târgu Mureș. He started collecting, systematizing, and researching Lepidoptera as early as 1957. From many areas of Romania, he collected both diurnal and nocturnal butterflies and moths (Microlepidoptera). At a time when entomological materials were scarce, he fabricated all the necessary tools for collecting, preparing, and organizing his collection. Some specialists estimate that his collection contains over 25,000 butterflies. It was donated to the Zoological Museum in 2022.

About the collection

Ornithological collections (naturalized birds and the scientific avian integument collection)

The Zoological Museum of Babeș-Bolyai University has one of the oldest and most significant bird collections in Romania. It was established in 1859 and has been continually enriched with specimens to this day. The collection includes specimens of both exotic species and Romanian fauna.

Osteological collections (bones, skeletons, trophies)

The Zoological Museum’s osteological collection comprises 898 specimens, primarily consisting of skulls.

The Oology Collection

The Zoological Museum’s oology collection (bird eggs) contains about 3,500 pieces. The collection includes the oldest specimens in the museum, collected in 1848.

Joseph von Franzenau Lepidoptera Collection

This is the oldest Lepidoptera collection in Romania. The first catalog was published in 1850.

Ottó Herman Orthoptera Collection

Ottó Herman (1835–1914) was a naturalist, zoologist, and ethnographer. Between 1864 and 1871, as an employee of the Zoological Museum in Cluj, he began to study spiders, birds, and fish.

Herpetology collections (amphibians and reptiles)

The herpetological collections (amphibians and reptiles) contain about 5,000 specimens, representing 45 species of amphibians and 120 species of reptiles.

Ottó Herman Arachnid Collection

The collection comprises about 600 spiders of 159 species. It is one of the oldest collections of spiders in Romania. Most specimens were collected in Transylvania between 1864 and 1871. However, the collection also includes exotic species.

René Jeannel Carabidae Collection (Coleoptera)

The distinguished coleopterologist René Jeannel was a French entomologist. Between 1920 and 1930, he worked as deputy director of the Institute of Speleology, founded by Emil Racoviță – the first institute of its kind worldwide.

Lucia Dușa Bombyliidae (Diptera) Collection

In 1951, Lucia Dușa became curator of the Zoology Museum at Victor Babeș University and later served as chief curator until her retirement in 1985.

Béla Kis Entomological Collection – Orthoptera, Plecoptera, Ephemeroptera, Odonata

The diversity of flora and fauna around his native town stimulated the interest of the young Béla Kis for nature and especially for insects. He attended Bethlen Gábor High School in his hometown. In 1946, Béla Kis began his studies at the Faculty of Natural Sciences of Bolyai University in Cluj (today’s Babeș-Bolyai University). In 1950, after graduating from the Faculty of Natural Sciences, Béla Kis became an assistant at the Zoology Department of the university. He started his scientific work in 1951.

Marg-Wladimir Manoliu Lepidoptera Collection

Marg-Wladimir Manoliu was born in 1940 in Solca, Suceava County. He was a professional engineer, a nature lover, and a very passionate butterfly collector since childhood. He passed away in 2019. His descendants donated his impressive butterfly collection to the Zoological Museum.

Vasile Vicol Lepidoptera Collection

Vasile Vicol taught biology and geography at various schools in Mureș County and, later, in Târgu Mureș. He started collecting, systematizing, and researching Lepidoptera as early as 1957.