The National History Museum of Mauritius (: Musée National d'Histoire), also known as the Mahebourg Museum or formerly the Naval and Historical Museum (: Musée naval de l'île Maurice), is a national museum located in Mahebourg, Mauritius. Housed in an 18th-century French colonial mansion listed as a national heritage site, it focuses on the maritime, colonial, and natural history of Mauritius, including artifacts from shipwrecks, maps, and exhibits related to the extinct dodo and other endemic species.
History The museum is located at Château Gheude (also known as Maison Robillard), a french colonial country house built around 1772 on the banks of the La Chaux River. During the Battle of Grand Port in 1810, it served as a field hospital for the French and British fleets.
Its collection started with the historical artifacts, artworks, and maps in 1934 as Naval Relics Museum and by the 1938, it was renamed as Museum of Historical Souvenirs. But, after World War II in 1947, the Mauritian government acquired the château and after the renovation, it was again renamed as the History Museum and opened to the public on 15 September 1950. It was later expanded with materials from historic shipwrecks. In 2000, it was designated a national museum to reflect its broader scope.
Collections and exhibits The museum's collections include:
Early maps of Mauritius and the Indian Ocean region. Paintings and photographs from the colonial period. Model ships and artifacts from naval battles, such as items salvaged from the wrecks of the French frigate La Magicienne and the St. Géran (which inspired the novel Paul et Virginie). A near-complete skeleton of the extinct dodo and remains of the Rodrigues solitaire. Coins, furniture, cannons, and other items related to Dutch, French, and British colonial periods, as well as the slave trade and indenture.
Gallery
See also List of museums in Mauritius
References