Below is a list of the main existing cultural and historical sites of Mauritius, where one can discover even more about the rich past of the nation.
The Natural History Museum
The Natural History Museum is the oldest museum in Mauritius and one of the first museums in the southern hemisphere. Built in 1842, it contains a large collection of natural science exhibits. The highlight of the museum is undoubtedly the dodo, the heraldic animal of Mauritius. It also houses specimens of other extinct birds as well as of endemic mammals, reptiles and fish.
National History Museum
The National History Museum is housed in the Chateau Gheude in Mahebourg. This old building was built in 1772 during the era of French colonisation and is listed as a historic monument. It was in one of the rooms of this house that in 1810 the commanders of the British and French navy fleets, who were both wounded during the Battle of Grand Port, received treatment side by side. The museum owes its origin to the presentation of various vestiges of naval history and pieces of historical memorabilia.
Robert Edward Hart Memorial Museum
Located a short distance from the seashore of Souillac, it is the place where the Mauritian poet spent the final years of his life. Robert Edward Hart was born in Port Louis on 17 August 1891. He was the chief librarian of the Mauritius Institute in Port Louis and settled in Souillac following his retirement in 1941. After his first house was destroyed by a cyclone, his friends helped build a new coral stone bungalow (also known as ‘La Nef’). Following his death in 1954, the building was taken over by the Government in 1963 in order to create a museum to perpetuate the legacy of this great poet.
Frederik Hendrik Museum
This museum is located in Vieux Grand Port, which is the cradle of the history of the country. It was the site of the first human settlement in Mauritius in 1598. In fact, the Dutch actually settled on the island in 1638 following the construction of Fort Frederik Hendrik. They definitively abandoned the island in 1710. The French then took possession of the government of the island in 1722. They later relocated the administrative capital to Port Louis. They developed Grand Port and converted it into a military post to ensure the safety of the entire bay and of the island. In 1806, following the transfer of the military post to the new town of Mahebourg, the site of Grand Port was abandoned.
Since 1997, the museum has been receiving various objects recovered from regular archaeological excavations carried out on the site by Dutch researchers. It also operates as an interpretation centre for the Vieux Grand Port site.
Indian Immigration Museum
The Indian Immigration Museum is situated at the Mahatma Gandhi Institute in Moka. It was inaugurated in 1991 and reorganised in 2006. The museum’s mission is to collect, preserve and disseminate the heritage of Mauritian people of Indian origin. It also contains a whole archival collection relating to Indian immigration and composed of over 2,000 documents referring to 450,000 Indian indentured immigrants at the time of their arrival.
L’Aventure du Sucre
Unravel the mystery of the sugarcane and explore the magic of sugar in all its forms at L’Aventure du Sucre (Sugarworld). Discover the secrets and the destiny of this treasure that has influenced profoundly the history of Mauritius. Taste the prestigious and natural brown sugars exported to European luxury delicatessen and an amber rum aged in oak barrels. Finally, at the restaurant, enjoy delicious food and divine sugarcane based deserts.
MTPA
The Mauritius Tourism Promotion Authority (MTPA) is a parastatal organisation established in 1996 by the MTPA Act.It is administered by a Board of Directors and operates under the aegis of the Ministry of Tourism and Leisure.