The National Museum of Natural Sciences connects Madrid’s scientific history with research on the living and geological world. Its collections grew from an Enlightenment-era royal cabinet, then changed as the museum’s roles in teaching, research, and public display evolved.
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The museum’s story begins not as a modern gallery but as a royal collection created during the Enlightenment. On October 17, 1771, Charles III founded the Royal Cabinet of Natural History, the institution from which today’s National Museum of Natural Sciences descends.
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UpgradeQuick facts
- Charles III founded the Royal Cabinet of Natural History in 1771.
- The Royal Museum of Natural Sciences was established in 1815.
- The Palace of Arts and Industry began construction in 1882.
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