Timeline

Key figures

Origin and history

The natural history museum of Bordeaux, now called the Bordeaux Museum - Science and Nature, originated in the private collections of François-de-Paule Latapi (professor of natural history) in 1791, then Bernard Journu-Auber (owner) in 1804. These donations, among the first post-Revolution public collections, settled in 1811 in the former hotel of the Academy, before moving in 1862 to the hotel of Lisleferme, in the Public Garden. This 18th-century building, inscribed in the Historic Monuments in 1935, has since been home to collections enriched by bequests such as those of François Daleau (Prehistory) or Xavier Montrouzier (Malacology).

Closed in 2008 for renovation, the museum reopens in 2019 after 11 years of work, modernising its 600 m2 of permanent exhibitions and adding 550 m2 in the basement. The project, led by the Basalt Architecture group, incorporates innovative technologies (recovery of calories for heating) and a muséography rethought around three axes: the discovery of nature, its ranking, and the place of man. The collections, including rare specimens (blue whale skeleton, elephant Miss Fanny), now illustrate biodiversity and environmental issues.

The museum also preserves controversial traces of the history of Bordeaux, as the plaque recalling the involvement of the Journu-Auber house in the slave trade. His educational activities, even during the closing, maintained the link with the public via travelling exhibitions (Le Muséum chez vous) and partnerships (Wikimedia France). Today, it combines historical heritage (woodworks of the oval salon attributed to Cabirol) and contemporary scientific approach, with a conservation center of 1,000 m2 on the outskirts to preserve 75% of the unexposed collections.

The emblematic specimens include the Harlé collection (quarternary palaeontology, including a dryopithèque mandible), the Daleau collection (5,886 pieces from the Pair-non-Pair cave), and the Lambert-Montrouzier collection (shells of New Caledonia). The current museum trail questions the visitor about his relationship to nature, integrating temporary exhibitions into the underground extension and semi-permanent ones on the first floor. Financing for the renovation (16 million euros) was 75% provided by the city of Bordeaux, supplemented by the region and the state.

The Hotel de Lisleferme, built between 1778 and 1781 for the lawyer Nicolas de Lisleferme, is an example of 18th-century Bordeaux architecture, with a central staircase and an oval living room with carved woodwork. The renovation preserved these elements while adding interactive devices. The museum, served by tram lines C (Jardin Public) and D (Fondaudège Muséum), is located in a cultural district close to the Quinconces, between historical heritage and scientific innovation.

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