Managed by the Natural History Society of Savoie and inaugurated in 1846, the natural history museum of Chambéry takes place in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region, in the department of Savoie. Entirely managed by volunteers, it is located below the castle of the Dukes of Savoy, on the first slopes of the Chartreuse massif. The location corresponds to the former lower part of the Royal Gardens.
Created by the will of Napoleon III, the Natural History Museum of Chambéry houses no less than 120,000 specimens of animals, mammals, birds, molluscs or insects. Added to this are interesting collections of fossils and minerals.
Labeled Museum of France in 2003, the museum is divided into twenty sections such as archives, library, archeology and numismatics, arachnids, crustaceans or comparative anatomy.
The garden of the museum, also called garden of scents, allows visitors to go for free walks, and touch and feel about forty species of plants.
The site is open all year, Wednesday afternoons, and the first Sunday of each month. Free guided tours are offered to better soak up this museum rich collections.