Timeline

Key figures

Origin and history

The Museum of the Royal Estate of Marly comes from the donation of the association Le Vieux Marly, which offered 900 works and graphic documents (prints, drawings). These pieces formed the core of the collections during the creation of the museum in 1982, originally named Musée-Promenade de Marly-le-Roi / Louveciennes. From its opening, an active enrichment policy was carried out through acquisitions and deposits of prestigious institutions such as the Palace of Versailles, the Louvre Museum or Sèvres - Ceramic city.

Closed in 2016 for renovation, the museum reopened in January 2020 with a completely redesigned museum trail. It offers an immersion in the history of Marly Castle, built by Louis XIV and destroyed in the 19th century, as well as in the art of living of this royal residence. The collections also explore Marly's machine, a hydraulic system designed to feed the estate's fountains, and its technical evolution.

The museum journey revolves around several themes: the architecture and gardens of Marly, the operation of the hydraulic machine, and the intimate life of courtiers invited by the king. Animated models, videos and a virtual reality experience, the Royal Eclipse, allow visitors to visualize the missing castle and relive key moments, such as the 1715 sun eclipse alongside Louis XIV. The last section deals with the decline of the estate after the death of the Sun King, including the transformations under Louis XV and the destruction of the castle.

Labeled Museum of France, the property is located at the Royal Grid in Marly-le-Roi, with a secondary address in Louveciennes. Its approach combining history, decorative arts and industrial techniques makes it a unique place to understand the legacy of this royal domain today gone.

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