illustration Le Muséum de Besançon

The Besançon Museum History and missions

History of the Museum

1793
The first traces of the Besançon Natural History Museum, later considerably enriched by the collections of the Faculty of Science.
1801
First inventory, attesting to the existence of a natural science cabinet, later managed by the Ecole Centrale until 1810.
1943
Cohabitation of a "Muséum Jurassien" (zoology, entomology and botany collections) and a Musée de géologie (geology, mineralogy and paleontology) at the Faculté des Sciences. These two museums came under municipal management in 1945.
1959
The museum moves to the Citadelle, where it opens a major entomology exhibition. entomology exhibition.
1962
The first living zoological and botanical exhibition.
1975
Creation of the Aquarium in the "Petit Arsenal".
1980s
Until now, the zoo's sole ambition has been to entertain its visitors with live animals from local and foreign wildlife. You could see bison, lions, panthers, wolves, zebras, bears, chimpanzees and even... elephants! In the 1980s, the zoo was given a new impetus with new objectives: to improve housing and breeding conditions for the animals, the largest species were gradually transferred to other zoos with larger facilities.
Early 90s
Integration of the zoo into the Muséum de Besançon, from which it gradually takes on scientific missions. As part of this ensemble, the missions of the future Jardin Zoologique are no longer limited to entertainment, but also include the explanation of living things (understanding the animal world), research (the study of animal behavior, for example) and the conservation of endangered species.
1992
Creation of the Insectarium: bugs, dynastes, dytics and neps, crickets, spider mites, spider beetles, crickets, scorpions, cockroaches, tarantulas... Tens of thousands of insects and other arthropods, belonging to more than eighty different species, are on display for visitors to see. Since then, the Besançon Museum has continued to nurture this original approach: housing an impressive natural history collection (over a million objects: fossils, naturalized animals, herbariums...), it has established itself as a place of conservation and education, not only feeding research (in taxonomy and genetics, reproductive physiology, veterinary science, ethology...), but also raising visitors' awareness of respect for the environment and the preservation of biodiversity.
1996
Creation of the Noctarium: thanks to a reversal of the day-night cycle, visitors can discover the nocturnal life of dozens of small mammals and amphibians from our regions.
1998
Creation of the "Parcours de l'Evolution": a space reconstituting the main links in the evolution of the animal world thanks to naturalized and osteological collections, from the most primitive fish to the most evolved mammals / A first phase of work leading to the creation of a new Siberian tiger park, a Japanese macaque park and a P'tite ferme, a playful place for children to interact with small domestic animals.
2003
Renovation work at the zoo: lion and tiger park and primate moat. for primates.
2004
Renovation of the bird area with the creation of a large aviary.
2017
Opening of the Naturalium, a new permanent exhibition devoted entirely to biodiversity. In symbiosis with the Museum's various animal areas (Jardin zoologique, Aquarium, Insectarium, La Petite Ferme and Noctarium), the Naturalium raises awareness among young and old alike of the wealth of biodiversity, both local and international, the importance of its ongoing evolution, the threats to environments and species, and the actions taken to safeguard them.
2021
Renovation of the Aquarium, to showcase the various aquatic ecosystems of the Doubs, and the remarkably diverse flora and fauna they harbor.

The Museum's missions

The Museum's missions

Responding to the three main missions of museums (the study and dissemination of knowledge, the conservation of collections, and the promotion of scientific and natural heritage), the Besançon Museum articulates its discourse around two complementary poles: natural history collections on the one hand, and living animal sectors on the other.

Today, the Museum houses an exceptionally rich and diverse collection, most of which was built up by Besançon's Faculty of Sciences in the 19th and 20th centuries. It is recognized as a Musée de France for the scientific and natural heritage it preserves, studies and passes on. With over a million objects, it is both a precious witness to and the key to understanding the evolution of living organisms.

The various sectors of the Zoological Park are more than just a source of entertainment within the Citadelle, they are fully in line with the major
missions of a zoological park: the dissemination of knowledge, conservation, research and expertise. These vocations have been affirmed by our membership of the AFdPZ (Association Française des Parcs Zoologiques) since 1998, the EAZA (European Association of Zoos and Aquaria) since 2000, and the Union des Conservateurs d'Aquariums since 2016.