MUSEUMS 2024 THE GUIDE


Musée Vivant du Cheval Chantilly, Oise


The Atelier-Musée du Chapeau is fun for all the family


dramatic storytelling, artworks and immersive soundscapes. nzliberationmuseum.com


Abbaye de Vaucelles Les Rues-des-Vignes, Nord This former Cistercian monastery, founded in the 1100s, has been totally renovated and now stages cultural and artistic events. The seven hectares of gardens are particularly worth visiting. abbayedevaucelles.fr


Fort des Dunes Leffrinckoucke, Nord


This military fort, which was originally built in the 1870s, played a particularly significant role during the Second World War. Although much of what happened here was tragic, it’s an intriguing history all the same. During Dunkirk, dozens of French soldiers were killed here in German bombing raids and towards the end of the war, members of the Resistance were executed here by firing squad. Now dedicated to the various key episodes in its history, the building features video installations and interactive displays. fort-des-dunes.fr


Musée Ingres Bourdelle Montauban, Tarn-et-Garonne A wealth of artistic exhibits is on display at this museum, right in the centre of


Montauban, amassed over the years thanks to the generosity of collectors and artists, as


well as works purchased by the town itself. Raphael and Hans Holbein the Younger are two of the more famous painters featured. The museum owes its name to two prolific artists who were both born in the city: the neoclassical painter Jean- Auguste-Dominique Ingres and sculptor Antoine Bourdelle. Both gifted many works of art which now adorn the museum. museeingresbourdelle.com


Forum départemental des Sciences


Villeneuve-d’Ascq, Nord This family-friendly science centre in Villeneuve-d’Ascq stages all sorts of exhibitions, workshops, lectures and activities to give visitors an insight into scientific, technical and industrial culture. There’s also a planetarium and a children’s area. Currently there are exhibitions on Leonardo da Vinci and a climatic history of planet Earth. forumdepartementaldes sciences.fr


CURIOUS


If you’re feeling truly inquisitive, you may want to visit some of France’s more unorthodox or quirky museums. What about a centre dedicated to wet nurses? Or a comic-book museum celebrating the likes of Tintin and Asterix? Or a museum dedicated to one of France’s comic actors?


Across the 15 rooms of this museum at the beautiful Château de Chantilly, you’ll find a collection of equestrian works of art and equipment analysing the evolution of the horse through human civilisation. All areas of equestrianism are covered, from 6th century ceremonial Chinese horses and carousel horses of the 1930s to saddle design, horse veterinarians, jockeys and farriers. chateaudechantilly.fr


Maison Jean Monnet Bazoches-sur-Guyonne, Yvelines It was in this humble farmhouse in April 1950 that French political visionary Jean Monnet met with Europe’s senior politicians to discuss setting up the European Coal and Steel Community, a precursor to the European Union. After Monnet’s death, the house was acquired by the European Parliament and turned into a museum to showcase the life and work of one of the key architects of the EU. “It is here that visitors can immerse themselves in the place where the idea of a united Europe took its first steps towards reality,” the museum explains. Open almost every day of the year. Free entry. Guided tours can be arranged in advance. jean-monnet.europa.eu


Le Cassissium Nuits-Saint-Georges, Côte-d’Or The humble yet much-loved


blackcurrant is celebrated in all its juiciness at this museum and distillery in Nuits-Saint- Georges, in Burgundy. There’s a museum, a guided tour of the liqueur factory and plenty of crème de cassis to taste, as well as other fruit liqueurs. www.facebook.com/le. cassissium


Atelier-Musée du Chapeau Chazelles-sur-Lyon, Loire Mad about hatters? Then you really need to visit this delightful homage to le chapeau. Charting the rise and fall of luxury felt headwear produced in Chazelles-sur-Lyon, this space is packed with imagination- tickling displays: industrial machines, mannequins and all sorts of colourful headwear dating all the way back to the 18th century, both functional and fashionable. You can even try some of them on for size. Until November 2024, there’s a temporary exhibition exploring the millinery of fashion designers Pierre Cardin and Paco Rabanne. You can also visit the


fascinating adjacent workshop and see hat-making in action. www.ateliermuseeduchapeau. com


Musée de la Bande Dessinée Angoulême, Charente Billions of blue blistering barnacles! If you’re a fan of Tintin, Captain Haddock, Asterix, Obelix, Lucky Luke or the Smurfs, then you’ll love this museum in Angoulême,


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The 19th-century Fort des Dunes in Leffrinckoucke Aug/Sep 2024 FRANCE TODAY ❘ 127


IMAGES © FORT DES DUNES, ATELIER-MUSÉE DU CHAPEAU


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