Museums in Poitou-Charente

Museum of Art and Local History
17410 Saint-Martin-de-Ré

The Ernest Cognacq Museum, housed in a 15th-century mansion in Saint-Martin-de-Ré (Charente-Maritime), traces the history of the island of Ré through archaeological, artistic and historical collections, including a journey on colonial bagnes and Vauban fortifications.

Train Museum
17113 Mornac-sur-Seudre

The Mornac-sur-Seudre Railway Museum, housed in an old railway station in 1880, traces the history of the railway in Charente-Maritime. Located in one of the most beautiful villages in France, it houses technical collections and a historical model.

Gallo-Roman Archaeology Museum
17120 Barzan

The Gallo-Roman site and museum of the Fâ in Barzan, New Aquitaine, reveals an ancient port town of the 2nd century, with temples, theatre and thermal baths. Stunned since 1994, it bears witness to the commercial importance of Novioregum.

Museum of the Sea and Fisheries
17390 La Tremblade

The Maritime Museum L'Escale in La Tremblade, Nouvelle-Aquitaine, traces the history of local ostraiculture and the harbour life of the Marennes-Oléron Basin in a versatile historic building.

Museum of Art and Local History
17450 Fouras

The Fouras Regional Museum, labeled Musée de France, is located in the former Fort Vauban in Fouras (Charente-Maritime). It presents 600 m2 of exhibitions on local history, ethnography and maritime traditions since 1956.

Museum of Prehistory
17770 Saint-Césaire

The Paleosite de Saint-Césaire is a prehistory interpretive centre located in Charente-Maritime, near the archaeological site of the Roche in Pierrot, famous for the discovery of the Neandertal skeleton 'Pierrette' in 1979.

17100 Bussac-sur-Charente

The Musée du Présidial, located in Saintes in Charente-Maritime, is a museum labeled Museum of France that houses historical collections in an emblematic building of the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region.

17137 Esnandes

The Musée de la musseliculture à Esnandes (Nouvelle-Aquitaine) traces the history and cultivation techniques of the mussel in Aiguillon Bay, in the heart of the Poitevin Marsh.