It's indeed a prestigious journey into the world of skeletons, organs and shells that the Galeries de Paléontologie et d'Anatomie Comparée hold in store! A spectacular way of discovering the organisation of living beings and delving into the world of animals of the past.
- A place for reading the story of the past
At the end of the 19th century, Albert Gaudry, holder of the chair of palaeontology and a promoter of evolutionist ideas in France, undertook to present Paris with a new institution dedicated to comparative anatomy and palaeontology. "If", he said, "man is unable to read the future, this indeed being one of the greatest challenges of his destiny, then he should attempt to read his past". Unequivocally linked with palaeontology, comparative anatomy, claimed Georges Pouchet at the time, would find its place under the same roof. The place is superb: built by the architect Frédéric Dutert and opened in 1898 with the 1900 Universal Exhibition in mind, the great gallery is almost 80 m (260 ft) long and features stone and metalwork as well as many decorative sculptures of naturalist inspiration.
- Silent and venerable witnesses
The Galerie d'Anatomie was for Paul Claudel "nothing less than the most beautiful museum in Paris (…). Each time I visit France I return to visit this sublime gallery with a feeling of religious veneration, which on each occasion makes me want to remove not only my hat, but also my shoes." This sentiment of respect can still be felt today, when faced with this immense herd of complete skeletons which appears to be running in silence in the centre of the Galerie d'Anatomie Comparée. From fish to birds, reptiles to mammals or from man to the whale, you can see all of the vertebrates' adaptations of the skeleton to their environments. The idea is to be able to compare sizes, forms and modes of locomotion. The journey awaiting the visitor on the second floor is no less breathtaking. In the Galerie de Paléontologie, the leap back in time is impressive: the exhibited fossils show animal forms which have come and gone over a period of 600 million years. The stars of this display: the fascinating dinosaurs and mammoths that significantly dwarf us in both size and age…
- A mine of information on the past and the future
The complementary link between palaeontology and comparative anatomy is what the Museum's researchers wished to bring even more to the forefront during the partial renovation in 1998. The visitor is taken on a journey through time as he or she passes from one gallery to another, taking in the evolution of certain groups from their origin to their extinction, or discovering their current descendants. Several research teams, made up of anatomists, archaeo-zoologists, palaeontologists and systematicians work with these historical collections and continue to enrich them with new specimens.
The Galerie d'Anatomie Comparée
There are over 10,000 exhibits in the Galerie d'Anatomie Comparée. You can look at the structure of organs, compare them and thus differentiate and classify the species, and understand how the morphological adaptations to the different habitats came about.
The Galerie de Paléontologie
The Galerie de Paléontologie brings a gigantesque and often terrifying world of fossilised skeletons of animals from all the regions of globe back to life. Gone for ever, they are the witnesses of a history spanning 600 million years.
Practical Informations
Paris 5ème : Jardin des Plantes 2, rue Buffon
Bus :
Lignes 24, 57, 61,63, 89 et 91
Metro, RER :
M5 : Austerlitz – M7 : Censier Daubenton – M 10 : Jussieu ou Austerlitz – RER C
SNCF Railway Stations :
Gare d'Austerlitz – Gare de Lyon
Modalités de visite :
Guided tours the 2nd saturday of the month at 3 pm (in french). Groups : on reservation only, guided tours in french ( contact : 01 40 79 36 00).
Accès handicapés :
No access for disabled publics