National Museum of Natural History

Interesting facts

1. 1

   The institution originated as the Royal Garden of Medicinal Plants established by King Louis XIII in 1635.

2. 2

   The Grande Galerie de l'Évolution is housed in a 19th-century building originally named the Gallery of Zoology.

3. 3

   It manages the Ménagerie du Jardin des Plantes, one of the oldest public zoos in the world, opened in 1794.

4. 4

   The museum's herbarium holds over 8 million specimens, making it one of the largest in the world.

5. 5

   It was granted the status of 'Grand Établissement' in 2001, giving it a unique administrative autonomy.

6. 6

   The Gallery of Paleontology and Comparative Anatomy preserves a rare collection of fossilized vertebrate skeletons.

7. 7

   Jean-Baptiste Lamarck, a pioneer of evolutionary theory, held a chair at the museum starting in 1793.

Overview

The National Museum of Natural History (Muséum national d'histoire naturelle) is a premier French scientific institution established in 1793 during the French Revolution. It serves as both a museum and a research center, housing vast collections of specimens across diverse scientific disciplines. The institution is centered within the Jardin des Plantes, a historic botanical garden in the Latin Quarter. Key components include the Grande Galerie de l'Évolution, which showcases thousands of animal specimens in an immersive, light-filled space. The site also encompasses specialized galleries dedicated to mineralogy, paleontology, and anatomy. It maintains significant collections of type specimens that serve as global scientific references. The museum hosts permanent exhibits on biodiversity, evolution, and the history of life on Earth. Its infrastructure includes herbariums and laboratories that support ongoing international biological research.

Insider tips

• Purchase tickets online in advance to bypass the main entrance queues.

• Focus on one specific gallery per visit, as the entire site is too vast to cover thoroughly in a single day.

• Visit the Cabinet of Curiosities inside the Gallery of Mineralogy for rare gemstones and crystals.