Timeline

Key figures

Origin and history

The Conservatoire of Machinism and Agricultural Practices (Compa) was built around a collection of machines and tools illustrating the history of agriculture and its mechanization between 1800 and 1960. Its collections, originally formed in the 1970s-1980s thanks to the Sedima (Syndicat des entreprises de distributions de machines agricoles), were enriched by donations from the Institut National Agronomique de Paris-Grignon in 1986 and 1998. At its beginning, the museum had 250 machines and 170 drawings; Today, it lists more than 8 000 pieces, covering also the trades related to agriculture (bourreterie, maréchalerie) and the representations of the rural world.

The collections have diversified to include prints, posters, photographs and even a collection of agricultural toys, the most important in France. In 2012, the Compa integrated the collections of the Musée des Ruralies (near Niort) and Agropolis-Museum (Montpellier), two closed museums having received the label Musée de France. The site also houses contemporary works of art (sculptures, installations) and a 1905 SNCF rotunda, highlighting its anchor between technical and artistic heritage.

The Compa is distinguished by remarkable sets such as 200 ploughs, historic tractors (from the first American models in the 1960s), and iconic machines such as the first McCormick harvester. Its iconographic background, consisting of 300 original photographs and 400 graphic works, sheds light on the social and technical changes in the rural world. Labeled Musée de France, it plays a key role in preserving national agricultural memory.

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