The Vivarium was created in 2000-2008, within the Botanical Garden of the National Museum of Ethnography and Natural History, in collaboration with the Foundation for the Birds Protection. It presents a permanent exhibition of rare, decorative and exotic birds, fish and reptiles. It was opened for the visitors on May 18, 2008. The access to Vivarium is from Maria Cebotari street, 7.
The Botanical Garden of the National Museum of Ethnography and Natural History was established at the beginning of the 20th century, on the same place of the park garden that had been planted on this territory in the middle of the 19th century. The goal was to present, on a small scale, the spontaneous flora from all areas of Bessarabia. Created as an indispensable part of the Museum, the Botanical Garden completes the museum exhibitions, showing their real existence in Nature. Having an area of 0.75 ha, it includes sectors that represent the main types of forest, steppe, aquatic and marsh vegetation from the territory of the Republic of Moldova, including the rare and endangered plants. A special sector is represented by decorative plants.
The Botanical Garden comprises trees included in the list of state protected natural monuments; a wooden pavilion and a fountain, built in 1889, by the architect Alessandro Bernardazzi, which are included in the list of the architectural monuments of national importance.
Thanks to its values, the Museum Botanical Garden has been declared a monument of landscape architecture and registered in the list of the natural areas protected by state. It is located between Maria Cebotari - Sfatul Ţării - Mihail Kogălniceanu streets.