PRÉSENTATION

Over the years the museum has aimed to constitute (from purchases and private donations) a true treasure of entomology and natural history,which is now well-known and reputed.
Today the museum boasts a collection of 4300 species of insects and butterflies, dioramas presenting 320 stuffed animals, a hall of regional geology made up of  300 samples of rocks, minerals and fossils plus a collection of marine life, including 250 seashells,gorgons, madrepores and echinoderms.

HISTORY OF THE CASTLE MUSEUM

1992 Purchase of the castle by the parish.
1993 Creation of an insect museum (3 rooms),enabled by donations from the parish.
1994 Extension of the museum (2 Extra rooms) What’s more the president of the « friends of the castle » association makes contact with  Laurent  Rebaudengo, after reading an article published by the press (Nice-Matin 4th of  September 1994) Mr. Rebaudengo owned a tremendous collection of stuffed animals (more than 300) and wished to make a donation of these to a community. Our website attracted him and even though many museums amongst the largest in France are interested he chose to donate his entire collection to Tourrette-Levens.
1995 Inauguration of the first hall of French fauna dioramas.The decoration and sculptures were created by Gilbert Carlès,artist.

What’s more a guide book for the museum of entomology was assembled by Lionel Carlès, Gilbert Carlès and Ludovic Thebault.
1996 Creation of a large signpost representing the distribution of flora in the Maritime Alps according to its altitude.
1997 Inauguration of the second diorama , the fauna of five continents. During this same year the garden with its lawn,the entrance and the climb to the castle are completely redesigned. Sanitary installations are added for the comfort of visitors and musical spectators in summer.
1998 Professor Henry de Lumley offered a stuffed wolf to the museum in order to complete the diorama of French animals.During this same year L’INRA of Antibes donated a scientific collection of insects.
From 1999 to 2000 Different donators helped to enrich the museum insect collection. Amongst them: Monique Dutheil, Jacqueline Cornier, Paul Enrico,Pierre Chirousse, Michel Cornet, Paul Ambroise Delauney, Frederic Billi, Pierre Fonteyne, Thierry Varenne, Frédéric Rymarczyk, André Ferran, Jean-Michel Roche.
2001 Donation of a stoat and a « rale des genets » for the diorama. During this same year an addition to the  coleopteron collection (Carabidae, Scarabeidae, Buprestidae and Cerambycidae family-origin France.) continuation of the collection given by L’INRA in 1998. A total of 370 new specimens presented to the public.
2002 Creation of 2 display cabinets of marine life(donated by Colette Cascio and Jacqueline Malinge)and the installation of a regional geology room, as a result of donations of fossils, rocks and minerals from the Paris museum by Mr. And Mrs. Jean Davoux and Professor Henry-Jean Schubnel. An addition of a stuffed coucou, wader and a pluvier argenté.
2003 Life size reconstruction of « Compsoniatus » (dinosaur fossil found in the Var) by Gilbert Carlès.
Plus signposts and cards  representing important stages in the geological history of our region. During the same year the President of the « friends of the castle) association offered a magnificent box of Ornithoptères, a group of butterflies considered to be the most distinguished in the world.
From 2004 -2005 New species from collections owned by the late Georges Broquet and Willy Hansen, two entomologists from the Maritime Alps, now added to the European insect collection
Thanks to the « friends of the castle » association and the parish eleven species of exotic birds(including a trago peacock,a pintade vulturine, a stalk from Abdimi, an ombrette, and a caleo), a wallaby (small kangarou), a ferret, a common hare and 270 new specimens of butterflies and exotic coleopterons.

The regional direction of customs donated objects  which were confiscated, such as seashells, a shark’s jaw,snakes,turtle shells and a small crocodile.

A second more fully illustrated guide book* of the museum of entomology was compiled by Lionel and Gilbert Carlès.

(*mis en pages et infographié par V. d’Amboise).
 
     News 2006:

Enrichment of the dioramas by a donation of a splendid Lophophore (Himalayan cock pheasant) and a female pheasant (stuffed by Mr. Rebaudengo)
— An Ibis and a Goura purchased by the parish.
— A Pangolin, a cayman and a fish porcupine donated by Mr.Bernardini.
— Eight Maritime Alp fossils donated by Dr. Alain Frère.
— Samples of fulgurite, lybyqueglass and petrified wood donated by J.P.Monnier.
— A crocodile and nandou egg, 6 fossils and  12 tropical sea shells donated by P.Brunner.
— 27 new exotic species of butterflies
— A magnificent stuffed Canadian Lynx offered by « friends of the castle »  association.

      Canadian lynx offered by the « friends of the castle »

        Part of a collection (5 boxes) of exotic coleopterons belonging to the Buprestes family offered by Jean-Marie Schilaneck, an entomologist from Grasse, deceased  in 2003.                    

   Boxes of coleopterons. Collection belonging to Jean-Marie Schilaneck

— Samples of malachite from the valley of Tinée and antlers donated by G.Autran.
— Additions to the collection of Orthoptères (grasshoppers and crickets) and Hymenoptères (wasps and bees) originating in France, donated by L’INRA in 1998.
  A total of 105 new specimens.

to be continued !