Fossiles of Roman Advent -150 000 ans (≈ 0)
Mammouths and woolly rhinoceros.
-300 millions d’années
Ronchamp fossils
Ronchamp fossils -300 millions d’années (≈ 500)
Exposed carboniferous plants.
1937
Installation at the castle
Installation at the castle 1937 (≈ 1937)
The museum settles in the castle.
2012
Acquisition of Rastetter herbarium
Acquisition of Rastetter herbarium 2012 (≈ 2012)
Depot of the herbarium of Vincent Rastetter.
Aujourd'hui
Aujourd'hui
Aujourd'hui Aujourd'hui (≈ 2025)
Position de référence.
Key figures
Georges Cuvier - Paleontologist and Anatomist
Father of paleontology, native of Montbéliard.
Vincent Rastetter - Botanist and mycologist
Author of the herbarium filed in 2012.
Origin and history
The Museum of Archaeology and Natural History of Montbéliard, also known as the Cuvier Museum, is dedicated to Georges Cuvier (1769–32), a native of the city and pioneer of paleontology and comparative anatomy. Installed since 1937 in the Dukes' Castle of Württemberg (XIII century), it houses archaeological and natural collections, including regional fossils ranging from Carboniferous to Prehistory, as well as Gallo-Roman and medieval objects.
The "Gallery Cuvier" showcases major pieces such as a Jurassic ichthyosaur, an allosaur, mammoths of Roman iaven, and a complete skeleton of woolly rhinoceros. A gallery of natural history completes the exhibition, including since 2012 the herbarium by Vincent Rastetter, Alsatian botanist who studied peatlands in eastern France between 1963 and 1990.
Associated with the Museum of the Dukes of Württemberg, this museum illustrates both the scientific heritage of Cuvier and the geological and archaeological heritage of Franche-Comté. Its collections, from local excavations, cover key periods, from -300 million years to the Gallo-Roman era, offering a unique panorama of regional evolution.
