Establishment of the association 1955 (≈ 1955)
Foundation by Jean Bernard in associative form.
1969
First exhibition of trades
First exhibition of trades 1969 (≈ 1969)
Launch of museum activities on old trades.
1976
Acquisition of the farm
Acquisition of the farm 1976 (≈ 1976)
Installation of collections in an 18th century farm.
1980
Heritage Prize
Heritage Prize 1980 (≈ 1980)
Awarded for its preservation of Vosges heritage.
1990
Launch of the Bread Festival
Launch of the Bread Festival 1990 (≈ 1990)
Annual event celebrating local products.
2019
Final closure
Final closure 2019 (≈ 2019)
Fire and electrical safety problems.
Aujourd'hui
Aujourd'hui
Aujourd'hui Aujourd'hui (≈ 2025)
Position de référence.
Key figures
Jean Bernard - Founder and school principal
Creator of the folk group and museum.
Jean Grossier - Spruce Specialist
Trainer of the daughters of Jean Bernard.
Origin and history
The farm-museum of the Soyotte was a museum housed in an 18th-century building at the Faing de Sainte-Marguerite, near Saint-Dié-des-Vosges. It traced the traditional rural life of the Vosges through the collections of tools, clothes and objects of Dantan, while staging nearly 83 peasant trades. Created in 1955 in associative form, it aimed to preserve and transmit Vosgian cultural heritage, combining exhibitions, shows and artisanal workshops.
The project was born in the 1950s under the impetus of Jean Bernard, school principal and musician, who founded a folk group focused on traditional dances, including the soyotte, a dance inspired by the movements of the long sawers. In the 1960s, the group also devoted itself to rediscovering the spruce of the Vosges, a traditional instrument, with the help of local specialists such as Jean Grossier. The shows, integrating music, dance and saynets, were presented in Europe and the United States.
In 1969, a first exhibition on the old Vosges trades marked the beginning of museum activities. The current farm, acquired in 1976, housed 7,000 to 8,000 pieces and restored 19th-century artisanal universes. The museum organized events such as the Bread Festival since 1990 and trainings in traditional know-how (dentella, weaving, spruce) from 1998. It closed permanently in 2019 for security reasons.
The museum's holdings included nearly 400 books on the Lorraine heritage, available on site. Temporary conferences and exhibitions, such as the one on old blotters in 2006, complemented the cultural offer. The country house, in open access, valued the production of local artisans (wine, honey, traditional toys), thus perpetuating the link between heritage and regional economy.
The museum farm was awarded in 1980 with the first Prix du Patrimoine pour les Vosges. Its collections, which were the result of systematic donations and research, illustrated the versatility of Vosges farmers, who had to combine artisanal activities to support them. The exhibits were mostly dated to the 19th century, although some shows evoked periods from 1650 to 1930.
