The Natural History Museum

The Museum of Natural History, Geneva (MHNG) is a place for research, the conservation of natural and historic heritage and the dissemination of knowledge. The institution began at the end of the 18th century and has changed its location in Geneva many times, before finally taking possession of its current building located in the Parc de Malagnou. It is the largest natural history museum in Switzerland and is home to nearly a half of the country's collections. These scientific collections include the legacies of Genevan naturalists, such as Fatio, Forel, Jurine, Pictet and Saussure, as well as the collections of other great naturalists, such as Lamarck and Delessert from France. In total, there are nearly 15 million specimens, tens of thousands of which are of international importance. These are continually being enriched by fieldwork carried out by researchers working at the institution, who discover around fifty new species per year. The museum in Geneva has published the 'Swiss Review of Zoology' since its foundation in 1893 and the 'Review of Paleobiology', which was founded in 1982.

The Museum of Natural History, Geneva houses an important library of scientific literature (including zoology and earth sciences), as well as archive material. It was created in 1832 on the suggestion of François Jules Pictet de La Rive, and comprises thousands of precious works. Since the 1980s, it has housed the collection from the 'Nos Oiseaux' bird society, as well as an important collection dedicated to bats. The Museum of Natural History has a bat centre, which used to be managed by the bat specialist Villy Aellen. This is home to the Centre for Coordination in the West for the Study and Protection of Bats which organises events for the annual European Bat Night. Since 2006, the Museum of the History of Science, Geneva has been a subsidiary of the Natural History Museum.

Show less