The Natural History Museum, 400 years old and with more cracks than wrinkles

"We are losing our means of production. When we welcome the public, when we house laboratories, if we are forced at some point to close buildings, it is no longer possible to continue": the observation is unequivocal for Gilles Bloch, president of the Parisian museum, who testifies to AFP about the deterioration of the institution's buildings, due to a lack of financial resources.

"Choose France for Science (the program that aims to attract foreign researchers to France, editor's note), I think it's great, but if we bring a great American professor to the Buffon campus he'll run away."

The Museum, which is celebrating its 400th anniversary this year, seems to be thriving. This is evidenced by the 3,6 million visitors it welcomes each year to its various facilities, while also being a leading center for research and the curation of collections.

But behind the beautiful shop window, the walls are crumbling: "And here, we're not in the realm of science fiction."

120 buildings, 150 emergency rooms

The Museum's real estate portfolio comprises 120 buildings, for which teams have identified 150 urgent projects. "74% of our buildings are classified in the most degraded levels" according to the criteria of the State real estate department, explains Gilles Bloch.

By comparison, only 35% of all buildings dependent on higher education and research are classified as such.

90% of the mineralogy gallery has been closed for years, as has the reptile building, whose renovation project was approved, pre-launched, and then halted. Each time, these closed buildings represent a significant loss of revenue for the institution.

The Museum is of course a place for exhibition, mediation and meeting with the public, but it is also a major player in research and teaching.

It therefore depends very largely on the budget allocated to it by the eponymous ministry.

1,1 billion euros

"We 'cost' 200 million per year. 67% (of the budget) comes from the Ministry of Higher Education and Research (MESR), 3% from the Ministry of Ecological Transition and other public sources, and the remaining 30% from our own resources," explains Gilles Bloch.

Once salaries and operating costs are deducted, there is only 15 to 20 million euros per year left to be spent on the buildings, of which 5 to 10 million comes from the State subsidy, the other part coming from the Museum's own funds.

Of these 5 to 10 million, 5 million go directly to "reimbursing the public-private partnership of the Paris Zoological Park" and there remains "about 5 million for real work", explains Gilles Bloch, who notes: "we can do nothing other than the minimum maintenance".

By 2027, the Museum's working capital will be "exhausted", and only the State's share will remain.

The president of the Museum is therefore calling on the State to find solutions. The figures are staggering: the emergency work alone amounts to 500 million euros. "But if we want to bring the buildings up to modern standards, for example in terms of energy efficiency, and not simply keep them operational, we're looking at 1,1 billion euros."

Gilles Bloch wants to be pragmatic: "If we have 35 million per year of expenses and not 5 million, in 15 years we have dealt with more or less the emergencies. But what is needed is predictability," he emphasizes.

While pointing out that the Museum deserves more than just maintenance: "We receive 22 euros in subsidies per visitor, while other major scientific museums are more like 40 to 60 euros per visitor."