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| MNHN (Paris) | |
|---|---|
| Name | Muséum national d'histoire naturelle |
| Native name | Muséum national d'histoire naturelle |
| Established | 1793 |
| Location | Paris, France |
| Type | Natural history museum |
| Collections | Zoology, Paleontology, Mineralogy, Botany, Anthropology |
| Director | (various) |
MNHN (Paris) The Muséum national d'histoire naturelle in Paris is a major French institution for natural history, founded during the French Revolution and rooted in earlier royal cabinets such as the Jardin royal des plantes médicinales, the cabinet of Louis XIV, and the collections of Jérôme de Lalande. It combines public galleries, scientific laboratories, and living collections located across the Jardin des Plantes, the Jussieu area, and regional satellite sites tied to the legacy of explorers like Alexander von Humboldt and collectors such as Georges Cuvier. The institution has shaped disciplines linked to figures including Jean-Baptiste Lamarck, Antoine-Laurent de Lavoisier, and Georges-Louis Leclerc, Comte de Buffon.
The museum traces its origins to the Royal Garden of Medicinal Plants established under Louis XIII and reorganized by Jean-Baptiste Colbert under Louis XIV, later transformed into a republican institution during the French Revolution alongside the reorganizations of the National Convention and the establishment of the Muséum national d'histoire naturelle in 1793. Directors and scholars such as Georges Cuvier, Étienne Geoffroy Saint-Hilaire, and Georges-Louis Leclerc, Comte de Buffon developed comparative anatomy, paleontology, and taxonomy, interacting with contemporaries like Charles Darwin, Alexander von Humboldt, and Jean-Baptiste Lamarck. The museum expanded in the 19th century through expeditions associated with figures such as Alfred Dreyfus (contextual), Jules Dumont d'Urville, and Louis-Philippe-era scientific patronage; 20th-century reforms reflected influences of the French Third Republic, collaborations with institutions like the Sorbonne and the Collège de France, and postwar scientific networks including CNRS.
The collections encompass zoological specimens assembled by collectors such as Georges Cuvier and Pierre Belon, paleontological fossils connected to expeditions by Owen-era correspondents and explorers like Gustave Eiffel (architectural link), mineralogical holdings from mining regions tied to patrons such as Nicolas Steno (historic), and botanical herbaria linked to Joseph Pitton de Tournefort and Antoine-Laurent de Jussieu. Departments include Zoology (mammalogy, ornithology, entomology), Paleontology (vertebrate paleontology, invertebrate paleontology), Mineralogy, Botany (herbarium collections, seed banks), and Anthropology (human osteology, ethnography), staffed by curators and researchers in collaboration with institutions like Musée de l'Homme and the Institut de Paléontologie Humaine. Iconic specimens include the fossil collections associated with Georges Cuvier and mounted skeletons similar in fame to specimens once exchanged with the Natural History Museum, London and the Smithsonian Institution.
Research programs link to historical figures such as Jean-Baptiste Lamarck and modern collaborators including CNRS, INSERM, and the Université Paris Cité, spanning taxonomy, evolutionary biology, conservation biology, and paleobiology. Laboratories conduct work in molecular systematics comparable to projects at University of Cambridge and Harvard University, participate in international networks like the Global Biodiversity Information Facility and coordinate field expeditions with partners including IRD and IFREMER. Educational outreach aligns with curricula from the Ministère de l'Éducation nationale and involves teacher training, university courses with the Sorbonne, and public science communication in the tradition of popularizers such as Ernst Haeckel and Jules Verne.
Permanent galleries present narratives pioneered by figures like Buffon and Cuvier, featuring displays of specimens, fossils, minerals, and botanical plates reminiscent of collections at the British Museum and the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County. Temporary exhibitions have partnered with cultural institutions such as the Musée d'Orsay, the Palais de la Découverte, and international museums including the American Museum of Natural History and the Museum für Naturkunde. Public programs include lectures, school visits, citizen science projects similar to initiatives at Zooniverse, family workshops inspired by educational methods of Maria Montessori (contextual), and nighttime events aligning with celebrations like Fête de la Science.
Architectural landmarks comprise the 18th-century structures of the Jardin des Plantes, the gallery buildings influenced by architects of the Second Empire, the Grande Galerie de l'Évolution remodeled in dialogue with Eugène Viollet-le-Duc-era concerns, and greenhouse complexes in the tradition of Joseph Paxton and Pierre Louis Moreau-Desproux. Grounds include the historic botanical gardens planted by Guy de la Brosse and later cultivated under directors like André Thouin, with arboreta, greenhouses, and landscape features paralleling those of the Kew Gardens and the Botanical Garden of Lyon.
Conservation labs work on osteological specimens, mounted taxidermy, botanical sheets, and fossils using methods developed in concert with conservation scientists from the Louvre, the Cité de l'Architecture, and research centers like INP; projects address issues of provenance linked to colonial-era collections associated with explorers such as Pierre Savorgnan de Brazza and collectors like Alfred Russel Wallace. Restoration initiatives include climate-controlled storage modeled after best practices at the Smithsonian Institution and digitization programs contributing to online repositories like the Biodiversity Heritage Library.
Governance is shaped by French state frameworks involving agencies such as the Ministère de la Culture and partnerships with research funders like CNRS and the Agence Nationale de la Recherche. Funding combines state subsidies, grants from foundations like the Fondation pour la Recherche sur la Biodiversité, philanthropic gifts from patrons comparable to donors at the Wellcome Trust, and revenue from ticketing and merchandising comparable to models used by the Victoria and Albert Museum. International collaborations include exchanges under accords with the European Commission and bilateral cultural agreements with institutions such as the British Council.