Natural History Museum of Geneva
Natural history museum in Geneva, Switzerland
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Natural History Museum of Geneva (French: Muséum d'histoire naturelle de Genève [myzeÉm distwaÊ natyÊÉl dÉ ÊÉnÉv]; MHNG) is a natural history museum in Geneva, Switzerland. It is the largest natural history museum in Switzerland and one of the ten largest in Europe.[3][4] The museum is home to more than 15 million specimens of animals, rocks, and minerals from around the world, and is a centre of scientific research, conservation of natural and historical heritage, exhibitions, and the dissemination of knowledge.[5] Its collections, exhibited over four floors, represent nearly half of Switzerland's natural history collections.[6]
Geneva, GE 1208
Switzerland
Muséum d'histoire naturelle de Genève | |
| |
 Front façade of the museum after restoration | |
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| Established | 9 March 1820[1] |
|---|---|
| Location | Route de Malagnou 1 Geneva, GE 1208 Switzerland |
| Coordinates | 46°11â²58â³N 6°9â²29â³E |
| Type | Natural history museum |
| Collection size | 15 million specimens [2] |
| Visitors | 300'000 per year |
| Director | Arnaud Maeder |
| Public transit access | Geneva City Bus: Lines 1, 5, 8 and 25 stop Muséum Geneva City Tramway:   stop Villereuse |
| Website | mhn.ch |
Originating at the end of the 18th century, the institution underwent several relocations before moving to its present building in Malagnou Park.[7][8] The museum's collections include important scientific material associated with Geneva naturalists, and are continually expanded by field missions and research work.[9] The museum also maintains a scientific library,[10] has published the Revue suisse de Zoologie since 1893,[11] and is known for exhibiting the two-headed tortoise Janus.[12]
Like other publicly funded municipal museums in Geneva, the Natural History Museum of Geneva offers free access to its permanent collections.[13] The museum is part of Muséum Genève, an institution of the City of Geneva within the Department of Culture and Digital Transition.[14]
Since 1 January 2024, the museum has been closed to the public for renovation and extension works.[15][16]
Collections
Louis Jurineâs collections of Hymenoptera, Coleoptera, Lepidoptera and Hemiptera are held by the museum.
Other displays include a collection of intricate glass models of invertebrates by Leopold and Rudolf Blaschka and a living specimen of a two headed tortoise named Janus. The tortoise is considered the mascot of the museum[17] and is one of their main attractions.[18]
Notable people who worked for the museum
- Aloïs Humbert, naturalist and paleontologist, curator since 1852
- Auguste Louis Brot, malacologist, curator and researcher (1855-1896)
- Emil Frey-Gessner, entomologist, conservator of the entomological collections from 1872
- Ãmile Dottrens, scientific assistant for zoology
- François Jules Pictet de la Rive, curator of paleontological collections
- Henri Louis Frédéric de Saussure, member of the managing committee
- Jules Favre, curator (1915-1952)
- Perceval de Loriol, paleontologist and stratigraphist, associated with the museum for over 40 years
- Peter J. Schwendinger, curator
- Pierre Revilliod, curator and researcher
Collections of a number of prominent scientists are held in the museum.
