Timeline

Key figures

Origin and history

The idea of creating an ethnographic museum in Besançon emerged in 1906, but the project did not materialize until 1948 under the impetus of Abbé Jean Garneret. Supported by the Direction des Musées de France and the Musée national des arts et traditions populaires, the "Musée du Folklore Comtois" first opens at the Granvelle Palace in the city centre. Its initial collections come from municipal objects, donations from the MNATP, and Garneret's private collection, from its peasant museum in Corcelles (Doubs).

In 1960, the museum moved to the Citadelle de Besançon, acquired by the city in 1957, and became the "Museum Populaire Comtois". He then devoted himself to rural life (metallurgy, agriculture, crafts) and social life (religion, leisure, education), enriched by donations from individuals and successive collections. His fonds include puppets, religious costumes, toys, and a large photographic ensemble (66,000 photographs) documenting the region since the 1930s.

Today, the Comtois Museum combines ethnographic heritage and contemporary reflection on social change. Museum of territory and society, it addresses universal themes (birth, work, beliefs) through various collections: everyday objects, photographic archives, and material testimonies of the 19th and 20th centuries. Its anchoring in the Citadel, classified as a UNESCO World Heritage Site, reinforces its historical and tourist attraction.

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