Timeline

Key figures

Origin and history

The Museum of Natural History of Rouen was founded in 1828 by Félix-Archimède Pouchet, naturalist and professor of zoology, under the leadership of Adrien Charles Deshommets de Martainville, then mayor of Rouen. Located in the 17th century old convent of Sainte-Marie, it was originally intended for medical students to illustrate courses in zoology, botany and pharmacy. The museum opened to the public in 1834 and gained national fame thanks to Pouchet and his successor, Georges Pennetier, pioneer of dioramas.

In 2007, after ten years of closure for work and standards, the museum reopens. Today, it preserves nearly 800,000 objects, ranking it as the second largest in France after Paris. The museum values its ethnographic collections by working with indigenous peoples, such as the Maori of New Zealand, for a sustainable and responsible approach. In 2011, he returned a Maori leader after a lengthy legal and legislative process.

The museum has been labeled Musée de France et Tourisme et Handicap since 2009. It has been part of the Réunion des musées métropolitains Rouen Normandie since 2016. A project aims to merge it with the Museum of Antiquities to create a new museum pole by 2028. The museum also conducts research on the toxicity of old conservation treatments, in partnership with the INSA in Rouen and the Centre de recherche et de restauration des musées de France.

The settlement is marked by controversies, including the restitution of Maori human remains. In 2007, the municipal council voted for their restitution, but the Ministry of Culture blocked the decision, citing the inalienability of public collections. A specific law, passed by Senator Catherine Morin-Desailly, was finally passed in 2010, allowing the restitution of twenty Maori heads preserved in various French museums, including Rouen in 2011.

The museum is distinguished by its historical galleries, such as that of mammals with continental dioramas, or that of birds including a reconstruction of the Norman farm. It also houses unique collections in prehistory, anatomy, paleontology and malacology, as well as specimens of missing species. Its innovative approach, combining science, ethics and international collaboration, makes it a major player in French museum heritage.

External links