Timeline

Key figures

Origin and history

The Écomusée de Marie-Galante is the first museum of its kind created in Guadeloupe and the Lesser Antilles. It originated in an ethnological survey conducted from 1975 to 1981, entitled "Inventory of the Arts and Popular Traditions of Marie-Galante". This study, carried out with the participation of historians, teachers, students and local volunteers, brought together a unique collection of artisanal tools, everyday objects, private archives and oral testimonies. These elements document the popular and naturalistic know-how of the island, forming today the heart of the museum's exhibitions.

In 1978, the project resulted in the creation of Murat's medicinal garden, which was housed in the former animal enclosure of the estate. This garden, integrated into the museum, illustrates the traditional uses of local plants. Since 1985, the Conseil Général de la Guadeloupe, owner of the site, has undertaken restoration work on historic buildings and landscape developments to preserve this place of memory. The master house, known as Habitation Murat, now houses two exhibition rooms (one permanent, the other temporary) and a reserve for iconographic documents. The basement of the former sugar factory, transformed into an air-conditioned reserve, preserves ethnographic and technical objects.

The museum is located in the domain of the Habitation Murat, one of the largest sugar houses in Guadeloupe in the 19th century. This site, frequented by 50,000 annual visitors, also includes a windmill built in 1814 by the Murat family, as well as a forested park of 7 hectares, decorated with flamboyants and coconut trees. The Ecususée is distinguished by its global approach, linking social history, architectural heritage and ethnological collections, while celebrating the memory of the abolition of slavery. Its label Musée de France underlines its cultural and historical importance for the archipelago.

The museum's collections are structured around various fields: archaeology, ethnology, history, photography, and pre-industrial industrial techniques. Permanent and temporary exhibitions highlight local traditions, while outdoor spaces, such as lawns and gardens, provide a place for relaxation and discovery. The Écomusée thus plays a key role in the transmission of Marie-Galante's intangible and material heritage, while being a place for researching and valuing popular knowledge.

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