Timeline

Key figures

Origin and history

The museum originated in 1875 when Victor Erpeldinger of Metz set up a Kriegsmuseum in Gravelotte on the current site. This project was born in the context of the annexation of Alsace-Moselle to the German Empire (1871-1918). In 1908, the property was transferred to the German Association for the Maintenance of Graves, reflecting the Germanic memory of the war. After 1918, the museum was placed under receivership and then transferred to the commune of Gravelotte, marking its passage under French administration.

Between 1944 and 1958, the museum was looted and damaged: the bombings from September to November 1944 partially destroyed the village and dispersed the collections. In 1958, a new museum opened, but the lack of resources in the commune caused a slow deterioration. The situation improved in 1992, when Lorraine Regional Natural Park created an intermunicipal union to manage three museums, including Gravelotte, allowing the recruitment of a curator.

In 1996, the Moselle Department took over the management of museums through departmental conservation. The scientific and cultural project, validated in 2003, resulted in the construction of a new building in 2008, signed by architect Bruno Madeira. This brutalist museum, surrounded by brass evoking armament, now houses 6,000 objects: uniforms, weapons, archives, paintings (including fragments of the Rezonville Panorama) and prints of Auguste Lançon. The collections are enriched by depots, such as those of the Musée de Mars-la-Tour or Metz museums.

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