Timeline

Key figures

Origin and history

The historical museum of Mulhouse was founded in 1858, when Auguste Stoeber and Georges Stoffel deposited Gallo-Roman artifacts from the Hunerhübel tumulus in the municipal library. Between 1859 and 1863, donations enriched this collection, including engravings, coins and various objects. In 1864, the library and museum were transferred to the drawing school, marking the official creation of the museum under the leadership of Frédéric Engel-Dollfus, an influential member of the Mulhouse Industrial Society (SIM). An agreement with the city in 1872 formalizes its management, entrusted to a committee including Stoeber (conservative) and Engel-Dollfus (administrator).

In 1874, the museum opened with 664 objects, before being transferred in 1882 to a new building on Rue des Bonnes-Gens, then in 1937 to the Steinbach villa. The municipalization of its management took place in 1951, after negotiations between the city and SIM. In 1969, the museum settled permanently in the old town hall (16th century), a symbolic Renaissance Rhine building, where it shared space with civil ceremonies such as weddings. Its thematic journey covers the history of Mulhouse, from the Mulhusian Republic (XVIth–XVIIIth centuries) to Alsatian folk art, with iconic pieces such as the Klapperstein or the Marottes.

The permanent collections include everyday objects, bourgeois costumes, old toys, and re-enactments such as a winstub (traditional inn) or Sundgovian cuisine. The museum showcases local archaeology ( Gallo-Roman tumulus), ethnology (religious practices, habitat), and municipal history, including through archives and portraits of Mulhusian Protestant families. Temporary exhibitions animate the hall of the Decapole and the Grenier d'Abondance, while the entrance remains free, reflecting its educational and heritage vocation.

The building itself, classified as a historical monument, is a major asset: built in 1552, it embodies the civil power of the former Republic of Mulhouse. The museum preserves its symbolic character, especially in the Council Chamber (1st floor), where municipal deliberations were held in the past. Labeled Museum of France, it is part of an Alsatian heritage network, complementing the offer of the Museum of Fine Arts and the Alsace Academy.

Collection

Le musée historique retrace l'histoire de l'ancienne République de Mulhouse et dispose de collections très riches composées notamment de meubles, de costumes, d'outils, de jouets, de plans et de portraits, avec en particulier le célèbre Klapperstein, la statue du Sauvage ou les marottes.

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