In 1956 it was established as an independent institution, starting from a private mineralogy and geology collection (Pasha collection). It was located in a central building, housing also a fauna exhibition presented in dioramas and an aquarium with exotic fish. In 1972 it was dismantled, as the building underwent decay, and the collections were stored in a school until 1976, when the museum moved to a new location. In 1978, in 91 Domnească Street location, the permanent exhibition opened. Ecology was the theme, as birds from the south-east area of Romania were on display. The manager of the museum until recently, Ms. Aurora Marcu initiated, a development project for the institution, and in 1990 the museum turned into a complex institution: the "Galați Natural Sciences Museum Complex". Its structure included museum, acvarium, planetarium, a botanic garden and a zoological garden. In 1992, the works started in an area of over 18 ha, situated on the bank of the Danube. The building was opened to the public in 2003 and comprises: the aquarium, scientific storerooms and labs, planetarium, an auditorium, and temporary exhibitions. The permanent exhibition is going to be established. The aquarium holds rare and very rare fish from the hydrological basin of the Danube, the Mediterranean Sea fauna and exotic fish. The botanic garden include 3,000 taxons, Romanian and exotic flora, and a rosarium. A glass house is going to be finished.
The museum heritage exceeds 60,000 scientific specimens representing collections of mineralogy - geology, mollusks, insects, fish, birds and mammals. The zoological garden lies 17 km N-W of Galați, in a scientific reserve forest, Gârboavele. It holds rare and very rare birds and mammals from Eurasia. Its heritage includes 90 specimens from 23 species.
