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Heritage classified

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Origin and history

The Boulogne-sur-Mer Castle Museum is a municipal museum of art and archaeology established since 1988 in the old Comtal castle of the city, integrated with the 13th century ramparts. This castle, built around 1227 by Philippe Hurepel, Count of Boulogne, underwent major changes in the sixteenth and eighteenth centuries, notably under the Duke of Berry (1394-1416) and the Dukes of Aumont under Louis XIV. Transformed into a barracks and then into a prison until 1973, it now houses a museum founded in 1825, rich in archaeological and artistic collections.

The museum is distinguished by its four departments: Mediterranean archaeology (with Greek ceramics and an Egyptian mummy), extra-European ethnography (including a major Inuit collection), fine arts (paintings and sculptures of the 19th and 20th centuries), and local history (from Roman Antiquity to the Middle Ages). The collection of Greek ceramics, second in France after the Louvre, includes rare pieces such as the Suicide of Ajax d'Exékias. The Inuit department, enriched by donations from Alphonse Pinart and Alice Rogoff, is one of the largest in the world.

The origin of the collections dates back to 1825, with the acquisition of the cabinet of curiosities of the knight of Barde, composed of oceanic objects. Auguste Mariette, an Egyptologist from Bolon, also contributed by offering 150 Egyptian objects. The museum benefited from prestigious bequests, such as Charles Lebeau's in 1916, including works by Courbet, Corot, Rodin and Sisley. Temporary exhibitions, such as Giinaquq (2009) on Alaskan masks or Te Moana (2007) on oceanic arts, highlight its diverse heritage.

The castle, classified as a Historical Monument in 1977, preserves remarkable architectural elements, such as the vaulted room La Barbière and a carved cochère door. Its inscription 1231, added in 1811, commemorates its construction. Gallo-Roman and medieval remains, visible in the underground, bear witness to local history, from the ancient Bononia to the medieval city. The partnership with the Alutiiq Museum in Kodiak, Alaska, strengthens its international reach, particularly for the preservation of Sugpiat masks collected by Pinart.

Recent exhibitions, such as Alaska Past/Present (2016) or As a Doopal Reflection (2023-2026), illustrate the cultural dynamics of the museum. Recent donations, such as those of Claude Baud and Michel Jacot in 2025 (350 contemporary Inuit works), enrich his Arctic collections. The museum remains a key player in the dissemination of Inuit and ocean art, while valuing local heritage, from Gallo-Roman excavations to paintings on the Opal Coast.

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