Museum spaces
A land rich in history
Haute Maurienne Vanoise is a land rich in history, varied and living: a millenary passageway to the heart of Europe, a mountain area inhabited for over 6000 years, a region influenced by the cultures of both France and Italy...
In this land of Art and History, opportunities are not lacking to discover the thousand treasures impatiently awaiting your visit!
[Translate to English:] Les espaces muséographiques
Archeological Museum at Sollières Sardières
The archeological museum of Sollières Sardières has opened its doors.
A new building and an attractive exhibition will allow the public to discover the evolution of human presence and life in the alpine environment from around 3000 to 200 years B.C.
Open in July and August - Contact: 04 79 20 59 33
Maurienne Baroque Space at Val Cenis Lanslebourg
From the beginning of the 17th century until the middle of the 19th century, local communities undertook vast projects of enlargement and beautification of religious buildings.
Altar pieces in sculpted wood, painted and gilded with gold leaf, gave new life to churches and chapels in the valley. Messages of faith, hope and solidarity, these decorations, financed largely by the parish members, were the work of artists from the Maurienne. During two and a half centuries, workers named Clappier, Amabert, Vincendet, Rey, Rosaz, Simond, Flandin, Bertrand or Portaz sculpted a multitude of columns, cherubs, and patron saints from arolla pine. Thus, Baroque art became part of the history of the mountain people, giving it a special meaning and originality in Savoy.
Open from mid-June to mid-September - Contact: 04 79 05 90 42
Pyramid Museum of Mont Cenis
Installed at the base of the pyramid constructed in 1968 in remembrance of the territory and the constructions flooded by the waters of the dam (priory-hospice, alpine chalets...), the museum retraces the history of Mont Cenis, millenary gateway to the Alps.
Through a series of panels and objects, the visitor discovers the themes of crossing the pass, the border and mountain fortifications, everyday life in the alpine pastures or the construction of the dam. The Museum is at an altitude of 2100 m and is only open in the summer.
Open from mid-June to the end of August - Contact: 04 79 05 92 95 or 06 86 87 01 57
Also at the Mont Cenis site
• Franco-Italian House: reception area for the discovery of the Susa valleys, Haute Maurienne and the outer reaches of Savoy and the Piedmont region.
• Forts of Mont Cenis: these are a series of forts constructed after 1860 in this strategic area between France and Italy. An agreeable and pacific hiking goal today, the Fort de Ronce houses an exhibition on the them of the fortifications.
• Alpine garden: discovery of alpine flora and, in particular, that of Mont Cenis, a site known by botanists for the wealth of its flora since the 16th century.
L'Erablo, a traditional dwelling at Bessans
Long ago, daily life brought humans and animals together in the same living space. To protect themselves from long, rigorous winters and to maintain proximity to the animals for daily work, the inhabitants developed a specific style of housing. A witness to the past, this manner of cohabitation lasted for many centuries. Within the intimate space of "l'Erablo," discover this ancient way of life through a video.
Open in July and August - Contact: Tourism Office of Bessans 04 79 05 96 52.
Visit p, Wednesdays at 5:30 pm. Information and reservation (obligatory). Visit: 3 € per person, free for children under 12.
Snow and Mountain Space
• Retrospective on winter sports.
• The beginnings of alpinism at Bonneval and the first guides: Joseph Blanc, known as "The Clerk," and Pierre Blanc, known as "The Pope," and their first expeditions in the Himalayas.
• Everyday life.
• Local crafts.
Open in July and August - Contact: 04 79 05 95 95