National History Museum, Mauritius
Housed in the magnificent French colonial mansion, Gheude Castle, at Mahébourg in Mauritius, this museum offers you an experience that is like traveling back to the country’s colonial history. The mansion used to belong to the Robillard family and played a significant role in the country’s history, as it was the place where the injured commanders of the French and English fleets in 1810 were taken for treatment after the Battle of Vieux Grand Port.
Now, the museum retells the story of the victory, along with salvaged items, such as grapeshot, cannons, and wine bottles, from the British frigate Magicienne that was sunk during the battle.
The National History Museum contains fascinating artifacts, including old maps of the island, paintings of the country’s original fauna and, of course, bones of the dodo, which is an extinct flightless bird that was endemic to Mauritius. These bones are placed in a glass case, along with bones of other disappeared species, such as the Rodrigues solitaire and the red rail.
There is also an engraving of Dutch gentlemen riding the back of a giant tortoise, which is also a species that went the same way as the dodo. Moreover, the museum displays a bell and a cache of Spanish coins from the wreck of St. Géran, which saw her demise in 1744 off the northeast coast of Mauritius. (See All: Mauritius holiday packages)