Timeline

Key figures

Origin and history

The Industrial Adventure Museum of Apt, renamed Museum of Apt in 2018, is housed in an old Marliagues candied fruit factory in the heart of the city. Created in 2003, it highlights the industrial and human history of the Country of Apt, from the 18th century until today, preserving the memory of the local know-how and the work of the men and women of the region.

The museum's collections explore the transformation of three emblematic natural resources: locher, used for coloured pigments, clay, transformed into fine earthenware and architectural ceramics, and fruit, preserved by local artisans. These themes illustrate the evolution of the industrial and craft techniques that have marked the economy and identity of the territory.

Locre, operated for two centuries in the Country of Apt, is presented through its extraction, refining and marketing. The museum reconstructs the key stages of its production, while evoking the role of the ochreers who have exported these pigments to the world. The deposit, stretching 25 km between Roussillon and Gignac, was a regional economic pillar.

The fine earthenware of Apt, recognizable by its transparent enamel based on silica and lead oxide, is highlighted with a collection of 250 everyday and architectural objects, covering the seventeenth, nineteenth and twentieth centuries. A workshop reconstitution allows you to discover the techniques of the makers, while panels explain the evolution of this unique know-how.

Confits fruits, a local specialty for a century and a half, have been addressed through tools, machines and archives illustrating the innovations in conservation and confiscation. The museum also keeps labels of confectioners, testimonies of the history of this still alive industry. Workshops and guided tours complete the offer for all audiences.

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