page_title: Citadel of Besançon
section_title: Museum of Natural History
hierarchical_section_title: Citadel of Besançon / Other buildings / Current use / Museum of Natural History
caption_attribution_description: Citadelle de Besançon
context_page_description: The Citadel of Besançon is a 17th-century fortress in Franche-Comté, France. It is one of the finest masterpieces of military architecture designed by Sébastien Le Prestre de Vauban. The Citadel occupies 11 hectares on Mount Saint-Etienne, one of the seven hills that protect Besançon, the capital of Franche-Comté. Mount Saint-Etienne occupies the neck of an oxbow formed by the river Doubs, giving the site a strategic importance that Julius Caesar recognised as early as 58 BC. The Citadel overlooks the old quarter of the city, which is located within the oxbow, and has views of the city and its surroundings.
  The fortification is well preserved. Today it is an important tourist site due both to its own characteristics and because it is the site of several museums. These museums include a museum of the Resistance and deportation, a museum focusing on traditional life in Franche-Comté and the region's archeological history, and a museum of natural history that includes a zoo, an insectarium, an aquarium, vivariums, a noctarium, a climatorium, a pedagogical exhibit on evolution, botanical gardens, and a children's farm. There is also a restaurant and shops.
context_section_description: The Course of Evolution is a pedagogic display based on collections originally established by the University of Franche-Comté.
  The zoo is a member of the European Association of Zoos and Aquaria (EAZA), and holds two endangered species of big cats, the Asian lion and the Siberian tiger, twenty species of primates, and some thirty species of exotic birds. The zoo's primary objective is the conservation and reproduction of endangered species. It also conducts research on animal behaviour.
  The Insectarium, the largest in France, highlights insects, which represent 85% of world fauna.
  The Aquarium features local fish, from tiny minnows to large carp and catfish; there is also a farm breeding endangered "red foot" crayfish and aprons of the Rhone region as part of a conservation project while increasing awareness to improve their living environments.
  The Noctarium reverses day and night, and so makes it possible for visitors to watch the activities of the nocturnal mammals it contains.
  The Children's Farm provides a discovery space for children.
  The Climatorium features displays on the evolution of climate on a global and regional scale and its impact on life forms.
caption: Aviary
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