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Origin and history

Louis Pasteur's house in Arbois, located in the Jura, is a historic residence of the 4th quarter of the 18th and 1st quarter of the 19th century. She was the family residence where Pastor spent his childhood and youth until 17 years, before inheriting her in 1865 with his sister Virginia. After the latter's death in 1880, he became the sole owner and set up a laboratory adjacent to his room, where he studied the fermentation of wines and developed pasteurization.

Very attached to this house, Pasteur stayed there regularly with his family and friends, often receiving winemakers from the Jura. In 1874 he acquired the close of the Rosières, a nearby vineyard, to deepen his research. After his death, his descendants, including his grandson Louis Pasteur Vallery-Radot, left the residence in 1935 at the Société des amis de Pasteur, then at the Academy of Sciences in 1992. Ranked a historic monument in 1937, it is now a museum preserving its original furniture and instruments.

The site, managed by the EPCC Terre de Louis Pasteur, was selected from the 18 iconic sites of the Heritage Lotto in 2021. It also houses the graves of Pastor's parents and part of his family at the cemetery of Arbois. The house illustrates both the private life of the scientist and his scientific heritage, through spaces such as his laboratory or billiards, remained intact.

The founding of the Academy of Sciences, the current owner, perpetuates his memory by exposing his works and their impact on the history of science. The museum offers an immersion in the world of Pasteur, mixing personal objects, archives and reconstructions of his experiences, including on fermentations and wine diseases, key areas of his on-site research.

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