Central Dinosaur Museum to open June 1

Minister of Culture, Sport and Tourism (MCST) Ts.Oyungerel and Chief of the State Property Committee (SPC) D.Tsogtbaatar officially reported that the former Lenin Memorial Museum building has been successfully transferred back to state ownership after many trials in primary, appeals and supreme court on Thursday.
It is the only building originally built for museum operation in Mongolia and the much-awaited Central Dinosaur Museum will open there on June 1, now that the ownership issues have been settled.
The MCST and SPC have been trying to take back the former Lenin Memorial Museum from the Mongolian People’s Party (MPP) through a series of court trials over the last year.
The MPP postponed trials 11 times.

Following is a brief interview with Minister Ts.Oyungerel about the news.

-How do you feel now that the museum building is in the hands of the state after much effort by you and your colleagues?
-We are so delighted that the complaint was finally addressed. MCST requested that the SPC file a complaint to return the museum building to state ownership on March 1, 2013. The building was constructed, owned and financed by the ministry at the time, so MCST had full rights to regain its ownership.
I’d like to express my sincere gratitude for the SPC, Mongolian courts, and former Chief of the Building Order Division of the Mongolian court between 1974 and 1980 and senior official Batchuluun for cooperating with us on the matter.
Documents that Batchuluun had been keeping helped us a lot in winning the case.
-When exactly will the Central Dinosaur Museum open?
-The court decision is effective from today (Thursday). The SPC will officially organize an ownership transfer ceremony for us. We will immediately start our work to make the building a museum filled with magnificent, Mongolia-originated dinosaur fossils and related artifacts once we are handed the key.
We have already formulated our rules and ordinances on redesigning the first phase of the halls. Despite many time-consuming overhauls and redesign projects, we are planning to open the museum by Children’s Day on June 1, this year. I am sure that young children are looking forward to seeing the Tyrannosaurus bataar fossil.
-How much is planned for the required budget before the launch?
-It has been impossible for us to estimate the budget as we were not allowed to enter the building. Once we get the key, all the plans and budgets will be formulated, along with tender bid announcements.
-How about the finds and artifacts to be displayed at the museum?
-The first and the biggest display for the opening will be “Bataar and his Dad.” The dad will be the giant dinosaur which was previously displayed at the Mongolian Natural History Museum (currently under repair).
Old finds of dinosaurs will be displayed at the museum as well. Around 100 dinosaur fossils and other finds will be available for display at the museum, but the number will increase in the future.


For anyone having second thoughts about the tour, this should change their mind.