Tourtour · 83
Musée municipal des fossiles Victor Zaneboni
A municipal museum in the Vieux village of Tourtour, bringing together more than 1,000 fossils and rocks from the Haut-Var, drawn from the collection bequeathed by shipwright-turned-amateur-palaeontologist Victor Zaneboni in 1978.
- A municipal palaeontology museum, a public institution run by the commune of Tourtour (Var), opened in 1978.
- More than 1,000 rock and fossil objects and specimens from the Haut-Var.
- A collection built on the bequest of Victor Zaneboni (1917-1999), a shipwright who became an amateur palaeontologist after some twenty years of collecting in the field.
- A remarkable collection of ammonites, complemented by dinosaur eggs and bones, and by fossil mammals such as the Bachitherium.
- Located in the Vieux village of Tourtour, at 12 rue des Moulins.
A collection born of a passion: Victor Zaneboni (1917-1999)
- A shipwright (carpenter-joiner) by trade, Victor Zaneboni spent some twenty years roaming the Haut-Var to collect fossils and rocks.
- A self-taught enthusiast of botany and palaeontology, he described and catalogued his own finds himself.
- In 1978, he presented his collection to the Tourtour town hall, which then opened this municipal museum.
- The original holdings were later expanded through further donations, notably the Verdier collection (dinosaur footprints, marine fauna from Pamroux) and the A.S. Loggia collection (limestones from Céreste, lithophysae from the Estérel).
The collections: more than 1,000 fossils and rocks from the Haut-Var
- More than 1,000 rock and fossil objects and specimens, mostly from the Haut-Var.
- A remarkable collection of ammonites (Ammonoidea), accompanied by belemnites and nautiluses.
- Dinosaur eggs and bones from Fox-Amphoux, along with mammal remains such as the Bachitherium, an artiodactyl from the Oligocene discovered at Céreste.
- Fossil plants from the Carboniferous (from the coal mines of the Gard), along with fish and fossil flora from the limestone of Céreste.
- A stratigraphic display of the pieces, accompanied by educational panels on the evolution of species.
Missions and life of the museum
- The museum handles the acquisition, conservation and promotion of its natural history collections.
- It helps spread scientific culture in geology and palaeontology and provides support to regional scientific research.
- It works with the Muséum départemental du Var and the association Gulliver, and takes part in the Fête de la Science.
- It takes part in the Journées nationales de l'archéologie, the Nuit des musées and the Journées européennes du Patrimoine, and organises temporary exhibitions.
Location and access
- The museum is located in the Vieux village of Tourtour, at 12 rue des Moulins (83690 Tourtour), between the oil mill and the open-air theatre (point 12 on the village map).
- Geographic coordinates: 43° 35′ 22″ N, 6° 18′ 05″ E.
- Tourtour can be reached via the RD51 or the RD77, about 25 km from Draguignan and 10 km from Aups and Salernes.
- The museum is run directly by the commune of Tourtour, which manages it as a municipal public institution.
Tourtour (83690) is reached via the RD51 or the RD77, about 25 km from Draguignan and 10 km from Aups and Salernes. The museum is located in the Vieux village, at 12 rue des Moulins, between the oil mill and the open-air theatre (point 12 on the village map).
Official museum website (opening hours & prices) ↗Frequently asked questions
Where is the Musée des fossiles de Tourtour located?
In the Vieux village of Tourtour (Var), at 12 rue des Moulins, between the oil mill and the open-air theatre.
Who was Victor Zaneboni?
A shipwright by trade, passionate about botany and palaeontology, who roamed the Haut-Var for some twenty years collecting fossils and rocks before bequeathing his collection to the commune of Tourtour, which then opened this municipal museum in 1978.
What can you see in the collections?
More than 1,000 fossils and rocks from the Haut-Var: ammonites, belemnites, nautiluses, echinoderms, dinosaur eggs and bones, as well as fossil mammals such as the Bachitherium from Céreste.
Does the museum organise other activities?
Yes: temporary exhibitions, and participation in the Fête de la Science, the Journées nationales de l'archéologie, the Nuit des musées and the Journées européennes du Patrimoine, in partnership with the Muséum départemental du Var and the association Gulliver.