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Exotarium in Stele of Khanty-Mansiysk
On December 20, 2013 in Khanty-Mansiysk, a unique architectural monument located on the highest point of the city, the Stele to the Discoverers of Siberia was officially opened after the reconstruction. Built in 2002 as a symbolic object, the stele had been neglected for the past few years. Everything changed when in the summer of 2012, the administration of the Khanty-Mansi Autonomous Region transferred the impressive but unused object to the city, and the city's authorities, in turn, began looking for an investor to renovate the building. It was not just a question of cosmetic repairs, it was necessary to fill the stele with new content and turn it into a tourist magnet for townspeople and visitors. Investors' proposals to the city administration were mainly limited to reviving the restaurant on the second floor of the stele. But the inside of the stele is two more floors, an observation deck and a unique darkened pyramidal vault 25 meters high!
The idea of reviving the stele and turning it into a cultural center was carried away by Valentina Penchukova, a well-known Khanty-Mansi entrepreneur (LLC "Zoovetcenter"). To create and further implement the concept, Valentina Viktorovna invited the company Akva Logo Engineering. Moscow architectural bureau "Narodny Architect" was also involved in the design, which developed the architectural framework and corporate identity of the exposition.
In the shortest possible time, a completely unique project of the Stela - the Exotarium - was developed and presented to the city authorities, combining a realistic recreation of the natural conditions of tropical fauna, interactive virtual reality learning elements, and the image of the "World Tree", inspired by watching the movie "Avatar". The original concept also included a giant aquarium with sharks, which later had to be abandoned because of the excessive weight of the structure. But the other elements survived and were implemented.
Work on the stele began in the winter of 2013. We had to completely renovate communications and redesign the first floor. In summer, work on the creation of aviaries, World Tree and virtual reality objects began. Apart from Aqua Logo Engineering, the contractors from St. Petersburg, Tyumen and China were working at the site. The interior of the stele was complemented by a completely transformed restaurant designed by a designer from Yekaterinburg.
Visitors to the stele begin their tour with a cozy lobby with a checkroom and souvenir shop, then take a high-speed elevator up to the observation deck, which offers a wonderful view of the old part of town and the Irtysh River. From the observation deck guests slowly go down the spiral staircase through fantastic night forest, where they are surrounded by various light and sound effects, and get to the exotarium proper. Small, but very cozy exposition includes large aviaries for monkeys and meerkats, smaller aviaries for pythons, monitor lizards, tamarins and porcupines, and the gallery of terrariums. The composition of inhabitants is chosen so as to show the maximum diversity of tropical fauna in a small area. The exposition of the first floor, which contains many more unusual things, will open to visitors in early 2014. 
The opening ceremony was attended by the Head of the Khanty-Mansiysk Administration Maksim Ryashin, the Head of the city Vasily Filippenko, representatives of state authorities and the business community. Specially invited American vocalist Ray Horton performed for the guests.
Already on December 21, 2013 the Exotarium in the Stele to the Discoverers of Siberia opened to the public. Before the New Year, its attendance steadily exceeded 250 people a day, which is not insignificant for a city with a population of 90,000 people. Investors expect even more interest during the school vacations.
The new exotarium adds to the list of nature exhibits created by Aqua Logo Engineering.
Text and photo: A. Kazakevich, December 30, 2013