The Perm Zoo
There is a place known for everybody in the centre of Perm. It is the Perm zoo. Today it is not a secret for people, that the zoo is located on the territory of the former cemetery at the Arhierejsky house, known also as «a cathedral cemetery». The name "cathedral" is connected with the Spaso-Preobrazhenskiy cathedral (nowadays a building of the Perm art gallery) which was a part of the Arhierejsky house.
On July, 21st, 1930 the Presidium of the Perm City Council made a decision to give a building of the former Arhierejsky house to the Perm state regional museum, a cathedral, a cemetery situated at the cathedral - for creating the zoo on the territory of the latter.
The destroying of the cemetery took place in summer, 1931. The next year the Moscow zoo looked after the Perm zoo which replenished the zoo by animals. It organized consultations on the research work.
In 1933 with a view of the further development the Perm zoo was allocated in an independent administrative unit.
These are mournful facts of the necropolis’s history, which made the impression of the time and social shock. Nowadays, there is a problem to be solved: what fate has in store for the territory of the Cathedral cemetery, on this holy place for Perm inhabitants? The history of the zoo dates back to 1922. It was a small “Corner of wildlife” under the Perm local history museum. Since 1933 it has become an independent organization, called the zoological garden. The zoo was moved to this area in 1931. Because of the adjoining buildings the area has been increasing and now it is about 2,2 hectare. The two-storeyed building “Aquaterrarium”, opened to visitors in 1989, is a part of the area. In 2001 the zoological garden was renamed in the Perm Zoo. The location of the zoo has a convenient position. It is situated in the centre of Perm by the embankment of the Kama and that is one of the reasons why it is popular among Perm inhabitants. The local history museum, a well-known Gallery of Art and exhibition halls are situated nearby. Two central streets of Perm: Komsomolskiy avenue and Sibyrskaya street are contiguous with the zoo. The hotel “Amaks” is just right opposite the zoo.
The question of the moving of the Zoo appeared long ago. Nowadays there are heated discussions where to move it. For example, the Ministry of Development offers about 10 places, but the most possible now is Chernyaevskiy forest-garden.
The address of the zoo: Russia, 614000, Perm, Orjonikidze street, 10.
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