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Origin and history

The Natural History Museum of Angers, created in 1801, is the heir of the collections gathered during the French Revolution. In 1790, Gabriel Éléonore Merlet de la Boulaye was commissioned to gather the objects of natural history seized in the department, initially stored at Saint-Serge Abbey. Pilées in 1793, the surviving collections formed in 1795 a teaching firm at the École centrale de Maine-et-Loire, under the direction of Joseph-Étienne Renou. Enriched by gifts such as those of La Révellière-Lepeaux, they opened to the public on May 5, 1801 in the Logis Barrault.

In the 19th century, the Museum extended thanks to bequests and acquisitions, such as the collection of Pierre-Aimé Millet de la Turtaudière in 1849. In 1885, the collections of paleontology, which became too large, were transferred to the old town hall, while the Hotel Demarie-Valentin (acquired in 1958) hosted zoology. Both sites were reunited in 1990, connected by a garden on the old ramparts. The Botanical Museum, incorporated in 2005, completes the whole with its 350,000 herbariums preserved at the Arboretum Gaston-Allard.

The collections, among the richest in France (150,000 fossils, 90,000 insects, 4,142 birds), include rare specimens such as a Cretaceous Plesiosaur or Roc-en-Pail Neanderthal bones. The Museum, labeled "Musée de France", combines conservation, research and mediation, with permanent exhibitions in zoology, paleontology, botany and prehistory. Its architecture combines the Neoclassical Hotel Demarie-Valentin (registered MH in 1995) and the former medieval town hall, reflecting its bicentennial history.

The institution plays a key role in preserving the scientific heritage, with digitisation projects and regular loans to researchers. Its missions focus on the dissemination of knowledge, expertise and pedagogy, while participating in national events such as Heritage Days. Despite the historical losses (pillage of 1793), the Museum retained exceptional integrity, without having suffered major destruction during world wars.

Among the iconic pieces are the oldest fossil wood in the world, a meteorite that fell to Angers in 1822, and 18th-century grasslands. Prehistory collections, enriched by Roc-en-Pail excavations, include lithic tools and mammoth bones. The Museum remains a dynamic player, hosting 30,000 annual visitors and collaborating with international scientific networks.

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