Musée d’Histoire Naturelle

What Musée d’Histoire Naturelle does

The Musée d'Histoire Naturelle de Lille is a municipal natural history museum operated by the Ville de Lille, founded in 1822 and located at 23 rue Gosselet. It preserves approximately 450,000 objects across four collections — zoology, geology, ethnography, and sciences & techniques — of which less than 5% is exhibited at any time, and it serves a regional audience across Lille, Lomme, Hellemmes, and the wider Métropole Européenne de Lille. The museum also operates as an active lender, with approximately 150 collection loans made in 2020 to institutions including Musée LaM, Musée du quai Branly, Musée de l'Homme, Musée de Picardie, and Musée Dauphinois.

Its core technology is modest and operational rather than digital-native: an internal collections management system cataloguing the 450,000-object reserve, a 360° virtual tour platform launched in 2024 to provide remote access to zoology, geology, bird, mammal, and curiosity-corner galleries, and integration with Google Analytics and the Tickeasy e-commerce ticketing platform. The museum has no AI/ML capabilities disclosed, no mobile app, and no API surface. The defining infrastructure investment is a €21.8 million two-phase renovation led by Snøhetta and Les Ateliers Adeline Rispal that will expand public space by more than 70% and rebrand the institution as the 'Muséum de Lille - Sciences et Sociétés'. Phase 1 completed in May 2021; Phase 2 began with closure in April 2024 and a 24-month construction timeline.

The business model is a hybrid public-funding-plus-transactional-revenue structure typical of French municipal museums. Operating revenue streams include ticket sales (€3-5 per admission, free for under-12s and C'ART subscribers), fees from educational workshops delivered on-site and off-site (€35-€140 per group), corporate patronage/mécénat for the renovation, and the dominant Ville de Lille municipal budget allocation supplemented by subsidies from the Ministère de la Culture, Région Hauts-de-France, Département du Nord, and Métropole Européenne de Lille. During the physical closure, the museum has pivoted to a 'Hors-les-Murs' (off-site) model, sending mobile educational teams to schools, leisure centers, and neighborhood venues, and has launched new portable products such as the 'La Chouette Ambassadrice' sensory box (2025) and a virtual tour (2024) to maintain audience engagement.

Name

Musée d’Histoire Naturelle

Legal name

Musée d'Histoire Naturelle de Lille

Website

https://mhn.lille.fr

Company type

Private

Founded year

1822

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

The Musée d'Histoire Naturelle de Lille is a municipal natural history museum, founded in 1822 and operated by the City of Lille, preserving approximately 450,000 objects across zoology, geology, ethnography, and sciences & techniques collections, and serving families, school groups, leisure centers, researchers, and the general public across the Métropole Européenne de Lille.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Natural History Museum / Cultural Heritage Services

NAICS

Museums (712110), Museums, Historical Sites, and Similar Institutions (712), Museums, Historical Sites, and Similar Institutions (7121), Historical Sites (712120)

SIC

Services-Amusement & Recreation Services (7900)

akta.pro primary industry

Natural History Museums (THAJADAC)

akta.pro secondary industries

Museum & Landmark Guided Tours (Skip-the-line/Docent-led) (THAJAAAC), Cultural Heritage Institutions (Archives, Historic Houses, Monuments Foundations) (THAJADAI), Museums & Heritage Sites (History, Science, Specialty) (BPAGAHAA)

Keywords

• Natural history museum
• Cultural heritage preservation
• Educational school workshops
• Science education programs
• Museum collection loans

Headquarters

HQ city

Lille

HQ country

France

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Infrastructure, Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Ticket Sales: Admission fees from visitors to permanent and temporary exhibitions. Standard tickets and reduced rates available.
2. Municipal Budget: The museum is a municipal museum (musée municipal) under the Ville de Lille, receiving public funding from the city for operations, staffing, and the major renovation project.
3. Corporate Patronage/Mécénat: Corporate sponsorship program for the renovation project, offering financial, skills-based, or in-kind contributions with customized benefits and counterparty offerings.
4. Workshop and Activity Fees: Fees for educational workshops and cultural mediation activities delivered off-site to schools and leisure centers.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

The Musée d'Histoire Naturelle de Lille is a municipal natural history museum that preserves and exhibits approximately 450,000 objects across four collections (zoology, geology, ethnography, and sciences and techniques). It delivers permanent and temporary exhibitions, educational workshops for school and leisure groups, off-site 'Hors-les-Murs' programming, a 360° virtual tour, and collection loans to other museums. Operations are funded by the Ville de Lille and supplemented by ticket sales, workshop fees, and corporate patronage/mécénat.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Standard Admission — Permanent Collections Individual admission tickets to the museum's permanent collections (zoology and geology), available at full price (€4) and reduced price (€3), with free entry for children under 12 and C'ART subscribers. Originally sold at the physical ticket office and online via Tickeasy; museum closed since April 2024.
• Standard Admission — Temporary Exhibitions Combined admission tickets granting access to both the permanent collections and the temporary exhibition, available at full price (€5) and reduced price (€3.50), with free entry for children under 12 and C'ART subscribers.
• Scolaire — School Group Workshops (Off-site) Off-site educational workshops delivered to schools covering zoology, geology, biodiversity, evolution, and classification themes. Pricing: 1h session at €35 per group (max 30 students) and 2h session at €65 per group. Pass Culture / collective payment accepted for collèges and lycées. Sessions are also delivered virtually during the renovation closure.
• Extrascolaire — Leisure Center Workshops Holiday and after-school creative workshops for children aged 6–12 at leisure centers (Accueils de loisirs / ACM / ALSH), including programs like 'Invente ton monstre', 'Crée ton insecte', and 'Moule ton fossile'. Pricing: €50 per 1h30 session per group (max 24 children) for MEL establishments; €140 per group for establishments outside MEL.
• Virtual Tour of the MHN (Visite virtuelle du MHN) Online 360° immersive virtual experience enabling remote exploration of museum galleries via web browser on computers, tablets, and smartphones. Used to maintain public access during the renovation closure.
• La Chouette Ambassadrice (The Ambassador Owl) Interactive sensory traveling educational kit centered on the barn owl for off-site outreach to schools and leisure centers, addressing diet, habitat, myths, and beliefs.
• Museum Collection Loans to Other Institutions Loan service providing collection objects from the four collections (zoology, geology, ethnography, sciences and techniques) to other museums and exhibitions nationally and internationally. Minimum 6 months advance notice required for loan requests.
• Corporate Mécénat (Patronage / Sponsorship) Program Corporate patronage program offering financial, skills-based, or in-kind contributions to the museum renovation project, with customized benefits and counterparty offerings geared to companies' CSR/mécénat strategies.

Quantifiable outcome

• 150 loans made to other institutions in 2020
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers8 records

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration2 records

Feature2 records

Partnerships

Eleven partnerships are on record, tiered flagship and minor.

• SnøhettaflagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 October 2019Internationally renowned architectural firm (founded 1987, 350+ architects worldwide) commissioned for the museum renovation project. Known for Library of Alexandria, Oslo Opera House. Responsible for masterplan including new construction connecting three wings as 'spine' of the building.
• Les Ateliers Adeline RispalflagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 October 2019Paris-based architectural firm specializing in museum scenography. Created permanent exhibition design for Universal Wine Museum Beijing, Dobrée Museum Nantes, and Chambéry Museum Lab.
• OmbelliscienceminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAssociation of scientific research, innovation, culture and education actors working for knowledge sharing in science and technology domains.
• ProscitecminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAssociation contributing to cultural, tourist and economic dynamics of Hauts-de-France region, working with 75+ regional actors to showcase heritage of trades and skills.
• AMCSTI (Association des Musées et centres de Culture Scientifique, Technique et Industrielle)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerNational association supported by Ministry of Higher Education and Ministry of Culture, bringing together cultural structures presenting science and technology to public.
• Recolnat (Réseau national des collections naturalistes)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerNational network led by Muséum national d'histoire naturelle, connecting actors involved in conservation and study of collections in France.
• Pass CultureminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorFrench government cultural access program allowing young people aged 15-18 to access museum events and activities for free.
• Les Amis des Musées de LilleminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCultural association representing the three Lille museums (Palais des Beaux-Arts, Musée de l'Hospice Comtesse, Musée d'Histoire Naturelle), contributing to collection enrichment and development.
• C'ART (Métropole Européenne de Lille)minorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorAnnual pass offering unlimited access to collections and temporary exhibitions at 14 museums in the Lille metropolitan area, plus reduced rates at partner institutions.
• Cité PhilominorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAnnual philosophical reflection event held across 20+ cities in Hauts-de-France with philosopher-authors, sociologists, historians, and economists.
• Palais des Beaux-Arts de LilleminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerFine arts museum in Lille; part of Lille's cultural ecosystem with cross-promotion and collaboration.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Market position

Competitive moat4 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xtwitter.com/mhnlille?lang=fr
• Facebookfacebook.com/mhnlille
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/mus%C3%A9e-d%E2%80%99histoire-naturelle
• Instagraminstagram.com/mhnlille/?hl=fr

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Musée d’Histoire Naturelle