Museums in Mauritius

There are a number of museums in Mauritius displaying the history, art and culture of the island. The Mauritius Museum Council- a body corporate under the aegis of the Ministry of Arts and Culture was established by the Mauritius Museums Council Act No. 3 of 2000 to replace the Mauritius Institute. It is managed by the Mauritius Museums Board.

The Mauritius Museums Council has two National and six specialized museums under its purview. Here is a list of some of the best museums in Mauritius;

1: Natural History Museum
The Natural History Museum is located on the ground floor of the Mauritius Institute Building, right in front of the ‘Jardin de la Compagnie’, in the heart of the City of Port Louis. The Mauritius Institute Building, constructed between 1880 and 1884, is listed as a National Heritage. This one-storey building is a partial copy of the Colombo Museum building in Sri Lanka. Its plans were designed by the British architect M. Mann. The Natural History Museum is the oldest museum of Mauritius and amongst the oldest in southern Africa. The collection comprised mainly marine fauna and birds from the Mascarene Islands. It formed the basis of the present day Natural History Museum. The museum also showcases collection, study and recording of the fauna and flora of Mauritius and the Mascarene Islands, and over the years developed into a centre of documentation and exchange in the various fields of natural history of the Mascarenes region

Natural History Museum

Mauritius Institute

La Chaussée

Port Louis

Tel: 212-0639

2: National History & the Naval Relics Museum

The National History Museum is situated at Mahebourg, in a fine park extending to about 12 acres, on the bank of River La Chaux. It is housed in Chateau Gheude  an old French colonial country house built around 1772 and presently listed as a national heritage. The National History Museum finds its origin in the Naval Relics Museum and the Museum of Historical Souvenirs. The Naval Relics Museum was set up by the Mauritius Railways in 1934.  The museum exhibited the objects (canons, mortars, part of hulk, bottles) retrieved from the shipwreck La Magicienne in 1933 and 1934 by H.C.M. Austen, engineer at the Mauritius Railways.

Naval Museum

Mahebourg

Tel: 631-9329

3: Robert Edward Hart Memorial Museum  The Robert Edward Hart Memorial Museum is located in the newly renovated coral bungalow by the seashore at Souillac. It is at this place that the Mauritian poet spent the last years of his life. After the death of Robert Edward Hart in 1954, the premises were purchased by the Government in 1963, to set up a museum to perpetuate the memory of the great poet. The building was repaired and the museum was opened to the public on 6 November 1967. The museum was renovated completely and reopened on 17 August 2003 on the occasion of the birth anniversary of Robert Edward Hart. Souillac Tel: 625-6101

4: Sookdeo Bissoondoyal Memorial Museum 

The Sookdeo Bissoondoyal Memorial Museum is located on the main road in the village of Tyack, Rivière des Anguilles. It is found in the house where Sookdeo Bissoondoyal was born. The mission of the Sookdeo Bissoondoyal Memorial Museum is to perpetuate the memory of the person after whom it has been named. It informs the public about the life and work of Sookdeo Bissoondoyal as a great leader who contributed towards the independence of Mauritius and the education of the poor, especially the Indo-Mauritian.

5: Frederik Hendrik Museum

The Frederik Hendrik Museum is located on the south-east coast of Mauritius. It is situated at the Vieux Grand Port Historic Site, the cradle of Mauritian History. This is the site of the first human settlement in Mauritius. The Frederik Hendrik Museum was opened on 27 May 1999 by Hon. Joseph Tsang Mang Kin, Minister of Arts and Culture. Since 1997, the museum received many objects in its collection as a result of the ongoing archaeological excavation work on the site, undertaken by a group of Dutch researchers. Over the years new exhibits, retracing the history of the site, have been added in the museum.

6: Mauritius Postal Museum 

The Mauritius Postal Museum is located in an old stone building, adjacent to the Post Office Building, along the motorway in Port Louis. This 18th century building also served as Civil Hospital in the past and is now listed as a National Heritage. The mission of the Mauritius Postal Museum is to collect, preserve and display the postal and philatelic heritage of Mauritius, and to promote interest in and study of Mauritian stamps and philately.

Source: www.mauritiusmuseums.org