MUSEUMS 2021 THE GUIDE


Indulge in some underground fun with fungi at the Musée du Champignon in Saumur


especially the famous Franco- Belgian school. There’s even an area for younger visitors to immerse themselves in books, play games and dress up as comic-book characters. And why Angoulême? Well, this is the city that every year hosts one of the world’s most important comic book festivals, the Festival de la Bande Dessinée. www.citebd.org


City of Brussels Fashion & Lace Museum Brussels, Belgium Okay, it’s not in France, but this excellent museum in the Belgian capital deserves special mention. On display are more than 10,000 items of clothing, lace and accessories from the 16th century to the present day – all displayed in rotation, through annual exhibitions.


From August 27 until May 15 next year, the museum is staging a special exhibition entitled Brussels Touch, where visitors can discover the city’s influence


on contemporary fashion, from the 1980s to the present day. On show is the talent of designers such as Jean-Paul Knott, Olivier Theyskens, Anthony Vaccarello, Marine Serre, Cédric Charlier and Jean-Paul Lespagnard. www.fashionandlacemuseum. brussels


Musée des Nourrices Alligny-en-Morvan, Nièvre Had you been a well-heeled Parisian lady in the 18th or 19th century, the last thing you would have needed to spoil the pleasures of your wealthy bourgeois life was a baby to carry about. That’s where Morvan’s wet nurses (nourrices) came in. Often abandoning their own infants, these young women sought a better life in the capital, and were rewarded handsomely for their services. Well worth a visit, the rather laboriously titled Musée des Nourrices et des Enfants de l’Assistance Publique brings this amazing story to life


with a collection of fascinating and moving memorabilia. www.museedesnourrices.fr


Musée du Champignon Saumur, Maine-et-Loire Are you a champion of the champignon? Don’t miss this subterranean museum in troglodyte caves carved out of tufa limestone. Down here is a treasure trove of 250 species of fungi, educational titbits and even fresh batches for sale, plus mushroom-based soups, beverages and more. There’s nothing quite like wandering through a chilly underground lair and getting up close and personal with living, breathing walls of shiitake or pied bleu. www.musee-du-champignon.com


Musée de la Bière Stenay, Meuse


Not a fan of traipsing round dusty old museums? Here’s the perfect antidote: a visitor attraction dedicated to all things beer. Earn your tasting rights (in


the museum tavern) by first learning about the history, sociology, science, agriculture and marketing of beer. There’s even a regular escape game staged on site. museedelabiere.com


CRAZY


Some museums are so quirky, so unique, that they defy categorisation. That’s certainly the case here. There’s a five-storey building packed with 100 miniature film sets. There’s an exhibit populated by a menagerie of mechanical dolls and clowns. There’s even a vampire fanatic’s home that has been transformed into an appointment-only shrine to blood-suckers. Brace yourself. Your weird and wonderful adventure starts here.


Musée de l’Automate de Souillac Souillac, Lot


A troupe of mermaids with fish and seashells for instruments


❯❯ Aug/Sep 2021 FRANCE TODAY ❘ 139


IMAGE © MUSÉE DU CHAMPIGNON


Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14