Side view of the Batiment de la Baleine (Whale building) with the amphitheatre in the background and Hotel de Magny (formerly Pavillon Cuvier) which houses the Cabinet d'Histoire (History office) in the distance, located in the Jardin des Plantes, Paris, 5th arrondissement, France. Founded in 1626 by Guy de La Brosse, Louis XIII's physician, the Jardin des Plantes, originally known as the Jardin du Roi, opened to the public in 1640. It became the Museum National d'Histoire Naturelle in 1793 during the French Revolution.