The three-hundred-year-old institution, one of the world's most important, is facing a worrying deterioration of its buildings. While it attracts millions of visitors each year, a large part of its real estate is deteriorating, to the point of raising concerns among its management, which is warning of a massive need for investment to avoid a lasting crisis.
Of the approximately 180,000 m² that make up the institution, nearly three-quarters of the infrastructure is now considered to be in insufficient condition, a clear deterioration in just a few years. Several emblematic spaces are affected, such as a former pavilion closed for several years due to structural risks, or historic galleries marked by cracks, dampness and aging installations.
A fragile scientific heritage
Beyond the buildings themselves, the collections are also suffering the consequences of these failures. Fragile specimens are deteriorating due to climatic variations, archives are threatened by humidity, and some storage areas no longer meet conservation standards. This situation jeopardizes a unique scientific institution, comprising tens of millions of objects and constituting one of the world's largest natural history collections.
Given the scale of the needs, officials estimate that several hundred million euros will be required in the short term, and nearly one billion for a complete overhaul. Current funding remains far below these estimates, raising concerns about the gradual weakening of this major institution, which is nevertheless essential for research, the transmission of knowledge, and cultural influence.
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