Housed in the former palace of the Cour des Aides, aka the board of excise, the Victor Brun Natural History Museum was founded in 1852 thanks to members of Montauban’s local Science Society, who wanted to share their private collections with the public. Among all the donations, the largest and most significant came from naturalist Victor Brun himself, who was appointed museum curator in 1857. Today, within its elegant wood-paneled walls, the museum invites you to explore five fascinating exhibition rooms filled with the wonders of the natural world. Around 3,000 specimens – whether creeping, flying, walking, or swimming – offer a rich and varied look at nature’s incredible diversity. Covering everything from primates to seashells, and birds to insects, this collection will have you seeing your next hike, zoo visit, or nature documentary in a whole new light. And if you’re more into rocks than reptiles, we have just the thing! You’ll find fossils from the phosphorite deposits of Quercy in the nearby Lot region, and even fragments of the Orgueil meteorite that fell just a few kilometers away in 1864. So, whether you’re into animals, minerals, or just looking to satisfy your scientific wonder, there’s definitely something here to spark your curiosity.