Muséum d'histoire naturelle de Troyes

About the museum

The natural history collections of Troyes date back to the late 18th century. A first museum was partly destroyed in 1814 by the explosion of an incendiary bomb, and then fell into oblivion.

From 1829, the Société académique de l’Aube gathered the scattered or surviving pieces. They were first kept at the prefecture, then from 1831 in the former Abbey of Saint-Loup. The natural history cabinet, the future Muséum, opened to the public in 1833. The holdings then continued to grow through donations from amateur naturalists who belonged to the Société académique; they organised field trips, catalogued plants, rocks and fossils, and published their work in the Mémoires de la Société.

In 1967, the Société académique de l’Aube transferred the entire collections to the City of Troyes. The Muséum now covers zoology (taxidermied animals, skeletons, insects), botany (herbaria, seeds and fruits) and geology (rocks, minerals, fossils). The pieces come from around the world and were assembled in the 19th and 20th centuries by naturalists and travellers. The museum is housed in the Abbey of Saint-Loup, which it shares with the Musée des Beaux-Arts et d’Archéologie.

Highlights

• Stuffed birds and mammals, including a Huppe de Bourbon, a bird of paradise and a platypus
• Fossils: ammonites, an ichthyosaur vertebra and a pterosaur humerus
• Collections of rocks, minerals, herbaria and insects
• A display on life under the ocean
• Activity booklets and the card game “La bataille des animaux” for young visitors

Permanent exhibition

• Collections permanentes du Muséum – A route through rocks and minerals, fossils, plants, insects, animals from here and elsewhere, and life under the ocean.

Founded

1833

Operated by

Ville de Troyes (Les Musées de Troyes)

Admission & discounts

Free admission: First Sunday of each month for everyone; first Saturday of the month and the months of January and February for residents of Troyes with the Pass’Troyen

Free with proof for job seekers, ICOM members, journalists, tour guides and private donors. No special rates on public holidays.

Accessibility

• Wheelchair accessible
• Elevator: no information
• Accessible restroom: no information
• Accessible parking: no information
• Service dogs welcome
• Tactile models & exhibits: no information
• Sign language tours
• Easy-to-read materials: no information
• Audio description: no information

At the Musée Saint-Loup, the Muséum is one of the few wheelchair-accessible areas. Only guide dogs and assistance animals are admitted, on presentation of proof. Guided tours in French Sign Language are available on request. Illustrated documents for autistic visitors (a plan, “Je vais au musée”, “Je visite le musée”, “Je repars du musée”) and a video help prepare the visit.

Kids & families

Great for kids & families

• Family tours & workshops
• Activity booklet, scavenger hunt or kids’ audio guide

Playful tours with stories and nursery rhymes (€3 per child), creative workshop tours and discovery workshops (€5 per child), by reservation. Activity booklets, animal activity sheets, colouring pages and puzzles are available at the front desk or to download. Babies are welcome.

Getting there & parking

The museum hasn’t published any information on this.

Amenities & dining

The museum hasn’t published any information on this.

Events & venue rental

The museum hasn’t published any information on this.

Plan your visit