Hidden Treasures in the Anniversary Year: The Muséum Opens Its Mineral Collection

Paris – 11 July 2026: On the occasion of the 400th anniversary of the Muséum national d’Histoire naturelle, a rarely presented department takes centre stage: the mineralogical reserve collection. Usually accessible only to specialists, the museum is now offering selected insights into a resource comprising hundreds of thousands of minerals and rocks—including many specimens with historical inventory numbers, field notes, and samples from expeditions, donations, and former private collections.

The collection is both a laboratory and a memory. Researchers use reference specimens to determine composition, compare distributions, and reconstruct geological processes. In educational work, the objects are used as visual material in courses and programmes, showing how crystals grow, how ore deposits form, or how the Earth’s crust changes over time. The reserve collection therefore combines curatorial care with ongoing scientific work—reflected, for example, in handwritten labels alongside modern databases and 3D scans.

Some objects are displayed at the Galerie de Géologie et de Minéralogie in the Jardin des Plantes, which has repeatedly been affected by closures and renovations in recent years. In its anniversary year, the institution emphasises the central role of reserve collections: they ensure the verifiability of research, preserve historical specimen series, and enable new comparisons, for example when older specimens are compared with current samples from the same region. At the same time, the Muséum plans themed tours, curatorial insights into the archives, and digital forms of access designed to protect fragile original objects while still allowing the public to experience them.

Preventive conservation remains a core task. Climate-stable storage facilities, suitable packaging, and precise documentation protect sensitive specimens from humidity, dust, and vibration. Ongoing digitisation also creates better research conditions and promotes cooperation with universities and natural history collections at home and abroad. Experts note that fully documented archives provide not only geochemical data but also insights into collecting history, trade routes, and scientific networks since the 18th century.

The anniversary also draws attention to the preservation of historic buildings and to resources for staff, care, and accessibility. Experts warn that long-term safeguarding and contemporary presentation require reliable funding and planning. For the public, the 400th year primarily means: more opportunities to access objects that have largely remained hidden, a closer link between research and exhibition—and a reminder that collections are not merely relics, but working archives for the questions of today and tomorrow.