Timeline

Key figures

Origin and history

The Musée des arts foraines, officially named "Palais de Bercy · Musée des arts foraines", is located in the Bercy district in the 12th arrondissement of Paris. It occupies the old wine cellars designed by the architect Louis-Ernest Lheureux, transformed to house a collection of fora and spectacles of the 19th and 20th centuries. Before its current installation, the museum was located in Gentilly, then rue de l'Église in the 15th arrondissement. In 2009, he was classified as a Living Heritage Enterprise, recognizing his role in preserving a unique cultural heritage.

The museum extends over 11,400 m2 in several stone pavilions with steep roofs, inherited from Bercy's warehouses. These buildings form a rectangular complex bounded by Avenue des Terroirs de France and the streets Baron-Le-Roy, Les Pirogues-de-Bercy and Lheureux. The main entrance is at 53, avenue des Terroirs-de-France. Close to Bercy Park and Bercy Village Mall, the museum is served by Cour Saint-Émilion Metro Station (line 14).

The museum's collections are distinguished by their immersive and interactive approach. Freed from traditional showcases, they include centenary rides, automatons, carnival attractions and spectacular scenery, such as an 1897 velocipede ride or a coffee boy race. Visitors can test these attractions during guided tours, according to the principles of active museum. The museum is organized into five thematic spaces: the museum of the Fora, the theatre of the Wonderful, the Venetian salons, the Magic Mirror (a ballroom of the 1920s) and the green theatre, an outdoor space set up.

Among the masterpieces, the rod ride, manufactured in 1897 in Ghent by Caillebaut and Decanck, was one of the first to offer speed sensations (up to 60 km/h) at a time when the automobile was rare. Restored to be functional, it attracts nearly 300,000 visitors annually. Another emblematic attraction, the coffee boys race, combines skilfully mechanical and participatory game: visitors throw balls to advance metal silhouettes on rails, in a decor of bevelled mirrors typical of the early twentieth century.

The Wonderful Theatre plunges visitors into the atmosphere of universal exhibitions, with a mechanical orchestra (piano, organ and tubular carillon) driven by computer, luminous projections (video mapping) and scenery inspired by the Nautilus or medieval tapestries. The Venetian salons, on the other hand, recreate the atmosphere of the Italian holidays with a gondola ride, a race of silhouettes on the rail and an automatic show depicting characters of the commedia dell These spaces, such as the Magic Mirror (a travelling ballroom of the 1920s) and the green theatre (a landscaped garden with magical elements), are available upon reservation.

The museum organizes annual events, such as the Wonderful Festival in December, where the halls animate performances and animations. In 2016, he also opened his doors to homeless people for a mass. In the past, it has hosted temporary exhibitions, including a miniature carnival made up of 39 rides and 25 1/20th-scale carriages, created by Lucien and Georgette Mouchet. The museum was also used as a setting for films such as Midnight in Paris (Woody Allen, 2011) or Emily in Paris (season 1, 2020).

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