Galeries condamnées, ossements qui explosent… Le Muséum national d’Histoire naturelle est dans un grave état de vétusté, alerte son président
The president of the Muséum national d’Histoire naturelle in Paris, Gilles Bloch, has issued a public alarm about the institution's severe state of disrepair. He warns that 74% of the museum complex is in grave danger, with urgent repairs costing an estimated €500 million needed to prevent collapse and reopen closed galleries. The deterioration includes mold-infested herbariums, flooded archives, and mineralized bones exploding due to heat and humidity, threatening the museum's world-class collection of over 70 million specimens.
The crisis highlights a chronic lack of public investment in France's cultural and scientific infrastructure. Bloch is calling for a significant increase in the state's annual funding to address both the urgent safety issues and the long-term preservation of this 400-year-old institution. The situation raises broader questions about political priorities for heritage funding during a period of budgetary constraints, placing the fate of a major national treasure in the balance.