The Galerie de Géologie et de Minéralogie is a museum that is part of the National Museum of Natural History in Paris. It is located inside the Jardin des Plantes, in the 5th arrondissement. It includes a collection of approximately 770,000 different types of rocks, minerals, crystals, gems, meteorites and works of art and artifacts made from these materials. This collection is among the oldest and most prestigious in the world and dates back to 1625. Starting in 1740, the collection was made accessible to the public. The building that houses the museum was built in the 18th century and was the first French structure built specifically to become a museum. It is a building divided into three large parts: a long central nave and two side wings, each divided by a peristyle of four columns and a pediment, recalling classical Greek architecture.