Museum of Ecology
Forget the stereotype of dusty display cases and “Do not touch” signs. The Karaganda Museum of Ecology is a hands-on, interactive space where you’re encouraged to push buttons, flip switches, and even try working in a sealed box. Founded in 1995, the museum demonstrates the close ties between natural resources, industry, science, ecology, and everyday human life.
Though compact in size, the museum is packed with fascinating exhibits. Its collection is organized into several themed sections:
- Natural Resources. A small display of minerals and a model quarry located at the Semipalatinsk nuclear test site.
- Industry. Parts of industrial machinery, vintage control panels, household appliances of past decades, and even a pressure chamber once used to oxygenate blood.
- Nuclear Energy. The centerpiece here is a sealed glove box designed for handling radioactive or toxic materials. Visitors are invited to assemble a puzzle inside – not as easy as it looks! The section also features control panels from a nuclear power plant and components of a Soviet-era laser weapon once classified as “top secret.”
- Military-Industrial Complex. Fragments and parts of Soviet weapons.
- Space Exploration. Rocket, spacecraft, and aircraft components. The true showstopper is a fragment of the Proton launch vehicle that crashed in 1999 into the garden of a Koktas village resident. This rare exhibit is usually kept beneath the floor and occasionally brought out for display.
Ecology in Action
The museum is much more than an exhibition hall. It takes an active role in research and practical environmental work: exploring solutions to local ecological problems, launching cleanup projects, and engaging residents in volunteer initiatives. Among its achievements are closing off the most contaminated parts of the Semipalatinsk test site to public access and installing protective devices on power lines to prevent bird fatalities. In the museum, one can also drop off used household batteries.
The Heart of Karaganda’s Eco-Community
The Museum of Ecology is also a lively cultural hub. It hosts lectures, round tables, and educational programs, as well as charity garage sales in support of children with disabilities, indoor plant exhibitions, themed fairs, and much more.
Phone number: +7 (7212) 41-33-44
Opening hours: Monday through Friday, from 9:00 am to 6:00 pm, lunch break – from 1:00 pm to 2:00 pm
How to get there?
Address: 47 Bukhar-Jyrau Avenue, 1st floor
The nearest bus stops are “Miners’ Palace of Culture” and “TSUM”. You can get there by city buses #1, 33, 43, 44, 45, 55, 65, 70, 73, 145 or minibuses (marshrutkas) #01, 02, 07, 011, 13. Buses from nearby towns (Temirtau, Shakhtinsk, Saran, and Aktas) also stop here: #107, 121, 122, 127, 141, and 165.
Other tourist attractions near the museum:
- Central Park
- Independence Square
- Miners’ Palace of Culture
- Miner’s Glory Monument
- Musical Comedy Theater
- TSUM (Central Department Store)
Gallery
Recommended tours:
All offers
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This journey will take you to the gems of Central Kazakhstan, including Karkaraly National Park, the Bronze Age Kent settlement, Scythian burial mounds, and the remnants of the ancient Buddhist temple known as Kent Palace.
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Embark on an exploration of the Soviet legacy on Kazakh soil! This tour takes you to the infamous labor camps of the Stalin era, Karlag and Alzhir, the Semipalatinsk nuclear test site, and various other landmarks from the Soviet era.
_420x650_4ab.jpg "CIP Lounge at Karaganda Airport")
Escape the busy airport environment. Book the CIP lounge access at the Karaganda Airport online. This service is available to passengers traveling on domestic and international flights.