Exhibition "ANIMALS ON EARTH AND HUMANS"

The tour will take you through three newly renovated halls, which were not accessible to the public before their renovation in 2013. The author of the exhibition is the zoologist of the Museum of South-East Moravia in Zlín, Dušan TRÁVNÍČEK.

It presents individual zoogeographical regions using natural objects, maps, texts, and photographs. What is most attractive to visitors are hundreds of various animal specimens from all over the world – skeletons, taxidermied animals, liquid preparations, and insects in entomological boxes are on display.

A number of remarkable exhibits come from the collections of Count Seilern, the founder of ZOO Lešná.

An undisputed unique feature of the exhibition is the skeleton of the elephant Sumatra, which is the only exhibited elephant skeleton in the Czech Republic. It is complemented by information about the life story of this animal.

The exhibition is arranged zoogeographically – upon entering each zoogeographical region, visitors pass a map where the relevant area is highlighted, and data on climate, main vegetation zones, and faunal development are summarized. Photographs of characteristic landscapes, habitats, and animals of the given area are attached. However, the most important are the exhibited animal specimens.

The architectural solution respects the genius loci of the castle premises. An interesting fact is that no barrier separates the specimens placed along the perimeter of the halls from visitors. In the middle of each hall is a large display case with massive wooden paneling resembling the frame of an old painting. The composition inside resembles hunting still lifes, which are typical for feudal residences.

The exhibition also outlines a wide range of relationships between people and animals. The banners cover topics such as: Animals in Myths and Religions, Humans – Travelers, Humans – Hunters, Humans – Extinction Agents, Humans – Scientists, Humans – Nature Protectors.

Part of the exhibition are also four touch screens with interactive programs, where visitors can test and expand their knowledge through various “animal” quizzes of varying difficulty on three of them. The fourth program offers information with photo galleries about all protected areas of the Zlín Region.

The educational department offers accompanying programs for schools to the exhibition.