The Park is also rich in plants. It has a reed and other 139 species of plants, 13 of which are rare and protected from extinction. Only in Srebarna you can see a slender toad, a gray and red willow and many others.
Floating reed islands are another interesting thing that can be seen in Lake Srebarna. These islands, called by the local population “kochki”, never flood with water because they follow the vertical movement of the water. This makes life easier for the birds that inhabit the lake because they make their nests on these moving islands.1
The Park is administered by the Ministry of Environment and Water. It was opened in 1983. Part of the complex is also the ecological station of the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences. From the Natural History Museum you could observe the birds from the Park. A video camera is placed in the heart of the marsh, where the pelicans nest, and via video the picture and sounds are transmitted on screen in the museum. An eco-path has been made around the Park, and at some distance there are gazebos meant for relaxation, from which visitors could observe the birds.2
In 2018, 70 years of Srebarna Biosphere Park and 35 years since the creation of the Natural History Museum were celebrated. The history of the Srebarna Nature Park began in 1863 when Felix Kanitz visited the lake. He writes three volumes for Srebarna and the Danube River under the general title “Danube Bulgaria”.
The first Bulgarian, who worked and promoted this place, is Alexi Petrov – a professional pharmacist, born in the town of Pleven. For the first time he came to Srebarna in 1911, the following years many times advocated nature here to reach 1948, when the government decided that Lake Srebarna would be declared a reserve.
Later in 1977 the Srebarna Nature Reserve entered the World Biosphere Reserve Network, and since 1983 – in the UNESCO World Heritage List.
The museum is built in a strategic location with panoramic lake view. In the autumn of 1983 it opens doors for visitors from the country and abroad.
Srebarna Nature Park Museum is completely renovated under the European Environment Program in 2014. Today there is a new roof, completely renovated, the joinery, furniture, showcases and color photos with materials in Bulgarian and English are changed. Tourists can watch live binoculars, tubes and video surveillance with the pelican colony and all the inhabitants of the lake. In one of the lounges there is an exhibition room with children’s drawings dedicated to “Ecoforum Srebarna”, which has a 25-year history.