Museum Departemental du Var (Departmental Museum of Var), Toulon

The Departmental Museum of Var, originally part of the Art Museum and Central Library, was inaugurated in April 1888. In 2011, it was relocated to the Villa Burnett, a listed natural heritage site. This unique museum is among the few Natural History Museums in France dedicated to preserving and showcasing the natural heritage of the Var region. Its mission includes acquiring, conserving, and promoting a vast collection of specimens that highlight the department’s exceptional biodiversity.

The museum’s collections cover various fields of natural sciences, including entomology, herpetology, mammalogy, and ornithology. It houses an extensive collection of 27,000 insect specimens, 61 species of amphibians and reptiles, and 250 species of terrestrial mammals, 70 of which are native to the Var region. The museum also boasts a collection of 978 bird species, making it one of the richest ornithological archives in France, with 167 nesting species found locally. Additionally, the museum showcases over 2,500 plant species, emphasizing the region’s remarkable flora.

Beyond its impressive biodiversity displays, the Departmental Museum of Var also explores prehistory, mineralogy, ethnology, and paleontology. Visitors can observe a pterosaur skeleton, fossils, and historic agricultural tools, offering insight into the evolution of both natural and human life in the region.