THE GUIDE MUSEUMS 2016


The entrance of the Cité de l’Automobile hosts this sculpture, where suspended cars (and the odd bird) fly from the foyer, through the glass frontage, to the museum exterior


true. From the minute you walk across the canal bridge and step foot into Cité de l’Automobile’s atrium, with its enormous and impressive car installation, you are bombarded by all things automobile. Inside the museum are 400 classic, prestige and racing cars from 1848 to the modern day, built around the original collection of the Schlumpf brothers, who once ran a textile factory on the site. Said brothers were more than a little bit obsessed with Bugatti racing cars – which, incidentally, was rather to the detriment of


150 ❘ FRANCE TODAY Aug/Sept 2016


their business, and which explains the predominance of this marque in the collection. www.citedelautomobile.com


Écomusée de l’Armagnac 40240 Labastide d’Armagnac Château Garreau, right in the heart of Armagnac country, in southwestern France, is a property and vineyard spread out over 80 hectares and home to some wonderful Armagnac. Its eco-museum explains the agricultural and industrial heritage of the site. Other attractions include a vignerons


museum (showing what life used to be like for people working on the vineyard), an alembic museum (showing the stills in which Armagnac is made), and an exhibition of some very strange-looking bottles. www.chateau-garreau.fr


Horreum Romain 11100 Narbonne


Deep beneath the streets of the Languedoc-Roussillon town of Narbonne are the remains of a Roman warehouse, or horreum, to use the Latin word, dating from the 1st century BC.


Renovated and opened to the public back in 1976, it offers a rare glimpse into the ancient world. It is thought that this was once an underground market and the galleries and tunnels have been adapted to give the atmosphere of market-day in Roman times. webmuseo.com/ws/musees- narbonne/app/collection/expo/21


Musée National du Sport 06203 Nice


When it comes to sport, the French have lots to cheer about, with champions in just about


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IMAGE © WIKIMEDIA KÄRJENS SLÆDEBJØRG


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