The Museum of Astronomical Sciences in Baia Mare

The Baia Mare Museum of Astronomical Sciences, known until recently as the Baia Mare Astronomical Complex, located in the new downtown area, first opened its doors to the public in 1969. At that time, it was the first public planetarium in Romania. Back then, the planetarium took pride in the astronomical observatory which was used for monitoring the night sky. In 2015, the astronomical complex was endowed with the most modern planetarium equipment in the entire country, the new opto-mechanical stellar projector allowing the greatest clarity of the stellar field. Thus, the institution from Baia Mare is now part of the most modern optical planetariums not only in Romania, but also in South-Eastern Europe. From 2020, the museum brings to the public a captivating and interactive presentation, which allows visitors the possibility of learning about scientific and cultural astronomy, being intended for both the general audience and the educational public. The exhibition space of the Baia Mare Museum of Astronomical Sciences includes five exhibitions, namely: the basic exhibition "Solar System", the permanent exhibition "DeepSky Objects in the Messier Catalogue", the exhibition "Solar Moments - photos by Ilie Tudorel", the history objects exhibition of the planetarium, as well as the digital multimedia exhibition “Traditional Romanian Constellations”. In addition to these, the institution is proud of its unique temporary exhibitions, regularly hosted inside the museum. With regard to the technical and cultural heritage of the museum, two collections of astro-philately were also added to the optical instruments used for demonstration and observation.