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Heritage classified

Key figures

Origin and history

The Town Hall of Amboise is originally a mansion built between 1500 and 1505 for Pierre Morin, treasurer of France under Louis XII, and his wife Françoise Prévost. Built of cut stone, it contrasts with the wooden and brick constructions of the era. The building passed into several hands before being acquired in 1761 by the Duke of Choiseul, minister of Louis XV, who made it the seat of his seigneurial justice under the name of "Ducal Palace". After the Revolution it became the property of the Hospice of Tours and then of the city of Amboise in 1826.

In the 19th century, the building successively housed a prison, a court, a salt attic, and a barracks for the garrison overseen by Abd-El-Kader, imprisoned at the castle of Amboise (1848-1852). In 1855, the town hall settled there, and the building was classified as a Historic Monument in 1880. A major restoration, led by architect Anthime de La Roque (1890), saves the building from saltpetre and degradation, at a cost of 300,000 francs. The cohabitation between town hall and museum lasted until 1970, when the administrative services moved.

The museum, originally called "Museum of the Town Hall", pays tribute to its founder in 2014 under the name "Museum-Hotel Morin", before adopting in 2024 the name "Museum of Art and History of Amboise" after a public consultation. It preserves six thematic rooms (including the wedding hall, still in use), and highlights local history, from kings of France to Leonardo da Vinci. Some rooms remain dedicated to municipal functions, such as civil marriages or councils.

The building illustrates the changes in an architectural heritage: from private residence to symbol of seigneurial power, then instead of justice and administration, before becoming a cultural space. Its classification in 1880 and its restoration in 1890 underline its historical importance. Today, he embodies both Amboise's memory and his civic life, between medieval heritage and museum modernity.

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