Timeline

Origin and history

The Colmar Museum of Municipal Mills is a space dedicated to industrial heritage linked to the city's municipal services, including water, gas, electricity and public transport. Located in a building dating from 1884, it occupies the former pumping station of the Neuland district, an emblematic place of local technical history. This museum illustrates the evolution of urban infrastructure through historical objects and installations preserved on site.

The museum is structured around four thematic spaces. A water pump of 1903, operated by a steam machine, recalls the beginnings of the water distribution. A 1896 gas reverberator, powered by coal, bears witness to the public lighting of the past. A 1906 generator, used as a source of emergency for a department store, evokes the beginnings of electrification. Finally, the history of public transport is presented through twelve panels and three showcases, covering the evolution of hippomobile trams to modern buses.

The museum is only accessible at one-off events, such as Museum Nights or Heritage Days. This limited opening reflects its status as a specialized place, preserving rare technical collections. The building itself, built in 1884, is an architectural vestige of the Colmarian industrial era, where urban history and technological innovations combine.

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