National Museum of Natural History, Natural history museum in Latin Quarter, Paris, France.
The National Museum of Natural History is a collection facility with roughly 67 million specimens across several galleries covering evolution, fossils, minerals, and animal anatomy. The different sections present these topics in separate exhibition halls where visitors can explore the diversity of nature.
The institution started in 1635 as a royal garden for medicinal plants and became a public museum in 1793 during the French Revolution. This transformation shows the shift from a private scientific collection to an institution for all citizens.
The museum's name reflects its role as a center for studying and teaching about the natural world. Visitors encounter displays showing how life evolved on Earth and how different species relate to one another.
The building sits within the Jardin des Plantes and contains several exhibition wings plus a zoo and botanical garden. Each area requires separate admission tickets, so visitors should plan which sections they want to explore.
The main gallery features a striking iron-and-glass structure built in 1889 for a Paris exhibition. This architectural feature serves as a setting for thousands of preserved animal specimens in a historic environment.
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