Timeline

Key figures

Origin and history

The Musée de la Pêche de Concarneau, inaugurated in 1961 in the former arsenal of Vauban Street, is the first French museum dedicated to world fishing techniques. Created by the Association des amis du musée de la Pêche, it is housed in historic buildings dating from the 16th century, including a chapel and barracks that served as a fishing school and a maritime cooperative. From its opening, it attracts 12,000 visitors and stands out for its 22 aquariums and a collection made up of donations from local fishermen, reflecting a pivotal period for the port.

Between 1961 and 1970, the museum gathers a varied collection: models of boats, navigation tools, naturalized marine specimens (like a coelacanth of the Comoros), and rare objects such as a sewing machine for sails of 1889 or the lifeboat Commander-Garreau. In 1975, under the direction of Hervé Gloux, the museum evolved into a "historical and technical centre", focusing on naval architecture and European fisheries, with the creation of a model workshop. In the same year, he inaugurated the first museum in France with Hemérica, a 1957 trawler accessible to the public.

Labeled "Museum of France" in 2003, the establishment occupies a site classified in the heart of the Ville Close, near the ramparts and the Tour du Major (Historical Monument since 1899). Its buildings, including a 16th century chapel and an artillery store transformed into a maritime cooperative in 1911, illustrate Concarneau's military and economic history. The museum now offers temporary exhibitions, educational workshops and lively tours, while preserving unique pieces such as boxes of historical sardines or the collection of marine maps Le Neptune François (1693).

The museum's attendance has varied over the decades, from 50,000 visitors in 2011 to 34,944 in 2013. Since 2012, it has been managed by Concarneau Cornouaille Agglomeration. The current scientific project focuses scenography on the South Cornwall, while highlighting heritage sets representative of maritime trades (conservation, sailing, shipbuilding) and a collection of more than 150 models, testimonies of technical innovations in fishing.

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