Burial of the Nobel Medal 16-17 octobre 2015 (≈ 17)
Theft of Aristide Briand's medal.
années 1980
Project launch
Project launch années 1980 (≈ 1980)
Mayor Joël Batteux's initiative for an ecomuseum.
1986
Submarine donation *Espadon*
Submarine donation *Espadon* 1986 (≈ 1986)
Offered by the National Navy at Saint-Nazaire.
1988
Opening of the ecomuseum
Opening of the ecomuseum 1988 (≈ 1988)
Inauguration avenue de Saint-Hubert.
2004
Management of Dissignac Tumulus
Management of Dissignac Tumulus 2004 (≈ 2004)
Prehistoric site attached to the ecomuseum.
Aujourd'hui
Aujourd'hui
Aujourd'hui Aujourd'hui (≈ 2025)
Position de référence.
Key figures
Joël Batteux - Mayor of Saint-Nazaire
Initiator of the eco-museum project in the 1980s.
Aristide Briand - Nobel Peace Prize 1926
His medal stolen in 2015 at the museum.
Origin and history
The Saint-Nazaire ecomuseum originated in the 1980s when Mayor Joël Batteux launched an ambitious project: to create a museum on the roof of the fortified lock of the submarine base, including a submarine unarmed in the lock. The initial budget of CHF 2.8 million (of which 50% state grants) provided for 2,500 m2 of exhibition, but the Ministry of Culture rejected the project. The idea of an ecomuseum on a roof is abandoned for budgetary reasons, and the site is relocated.
In 1986, the National Navy offered the Espadon submarine to the city, which became a museum ship in the fortified lock. However, technical problems delay the construction of the ecomuseum at this site. The museum opened in 1988 in the firm avenue de Saint-Hubert. His permanent exhibition, "Mémoire d'Estuaire", covers 550 m2 and explores the history of Saint-Nazaire, from prehistory to the present day, with models of iconic ships such as Normandy (1935) and France (1962), as well as archives on the naval and aeronautical industries.
The ecomuseum regularly organizes temporary exhibitions, such as "The 50s in Saint-Nazaire" in 2015, fed by a collection of objects from the inhabitants. That same year, the museum suffered its first burglary since its opening: the Nobel Peace Prize medal of Aristide Briand (1926), acquired in 2008 for €12,200, was stolen, along with historical documents. Since 2004, the Ecomuseum also manages the Prehistoric site of the Tumulus de Dissignac and offers a documentation centre with 45,000 archive images.
Labeled "Museum of France" by the Ministry of Culture, the ecomuseum showcases the Nazairian heritage through films, models and workshops. Its role extends to the preservation of local memory, as evidenced by the exhibition "La Poche de Saint-Nazaire" in 2005, commemorating the 60th anniversary of the Liberation. The museum remains a key player in the transmission of industrial and port history of the region.
