They were opened in 1926. A sea aquarium was built three years later, the first one in this part of Europe, and it was later converted into a terrarium. The Natural History Museum building was converted from a restaurant, according to the designs by the engineer Senjanović. The first director and curator of the Museum was Professor Umberto Girometta. Due to the collapse of a part of the building, the Museum was relocated, and only the Zoo remained on Marjan. By the decision of the City Council of the City of Split from 2014, function of the Zoo was changed by introducing autochthonous domestic animals, with the goal of creating a space which is educational in nature.