The renovation of the Natural History Museum and the City of Science requires "a major plan"

When questioned by LR senator from Paris Agnès Evren about the state of disrepair, particularly of the Museum, which is celebrating its 400th anniversary this year, the minister acknowledged "considerable needs".

"The Museum is not simply the museum of the 5th arrondissement, it is in total 23 sites which represent an area of ​​7 million square meters," he began by reminding everyone.

"This real estate portfolio is in a proven state of disrepair, the renovation needs are considerable and are estimated at around 1 billion euros," he indicated, joining the figure recently put forward to AFP and several media outlets by the management of the establishment.

"This is considerable, especially in the budgetary context we are experiencing (...) because we have at least one other site which requires work of this kind, I am thinking in particular of the City of Science," the minister continued before stating: "All of this will require at some point a major renovation plan which far exceeds the financial capacity of the Ministry of Higher Education and Research."

In mid-April, the president of the Museum, Gilles Bloch, spoke to AFP about the deterioration of the institution's buildings due to a lack of financial resources.

"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," he said.

The City of Science and Industry is celebrating its 40th anniversary this year, and discussions regarding its renovation are also underway.