Muséum d'histoire naturelle de Perpignan, natural history museum in Perpignan, France
The Muséum d'histoire naturelle de Perpignan is a natural history museum in the center of this southern French city, housed in a historic building from the 16th century. The exhibits display animal specimens, shells, bones, and plants that document the natural history of the Pyrénées-Orientales region.
The core of the collections comes from the cabinet of curiosities founded by the University of Perpignan in 1770. In 1835 the newly created Société Philomatique de Perpignan took over these collections to form a natural history cabinet, and on 4 August 1840 the city bought them and founded the museum. First housed in the former university, it moved in 1900 to the Hôtel Çagarriga, bought from Raymond Çagarriga.
The museum is housed in the Hôtel Çagarriga, a 16th century building that gives the place a classical character. The collections display the animals and landscapes of the Pyrénées-Orientales region, from the coast to the mountains, helping visitors understand the natural diversity of their surroundings.
The museum is located in the city center of Perpignan and is easily reached on foot, by bike, or public transport, with parking available nearby for drivers. Visitors should know it is open Tuesday to Sunday, and groups of ten or more need to make a reservation.
The Egyptian mummy in the collection was a gift from Ibrahim Pacha in 1847, after he took a thermal cure at Vernet-les-Bains. It is among the oldest objects still held by the museum, alongside archaeological, zoological, mineralogical and ethnological specimens.
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