Initial Inauguration juillet 2003 (≈ 2003)
Opening of the museum by the General Council.
2008
Temporary closure
Temporary closure 2008 (≈ 2008)
Closure for leaks in roofs.
22 janvier 2018
Re-opening after renovation
Re-opening after renovation 22 janvier 2018 (≈ 2018)
New museum and Franco-German anniversary.
30 novembre 2024
Inauguration space WOL III
Inauguration space WOL III 30 novembre 2024 (≈ 2024)
New space on Nazi economic occupation.
Aujourd'hui
Aujourd'hui
Aujourd'hui Aujourd'hui (≈ 2025)
Position de référence.
Key figures
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The source text does not mention any specific actors.
Origin and history
The Musée Guerre et Paix de Novion-Porcien, inaugurated in July 2003 under the leadership of the General Council of the Ardennes, is dedicated to the three contemporary Franco-German wars: the 1870 War, the First World War (1914-1918) and the Second World War (1939-1945). Its objective is to highlight their specific development in the Ardennes department, a region marked by key battles such as the defeat of Sedan in 1870 or the German breakthrough of 1940. The museum favours a human and material approach, illustrating the suffering of soldiers and civilians, exoduses, and successive occupations. Closed in 2008 due to leaks, it reopens in 2018 after a €3 million renovation, coinciding with the 55th anniversary of the Franco-German friendship treaty.
The museum is organized over 4,000 m2 in two chronological spaces, with over 14,000 objects, 135 uniforms, 500 weapons and 40 military vehicles. Unique in France, it combines national and local history through life-size scenes (such as a 1917 trench or a 1940 house), thematic showcases (arms, civil life) and explanatory videos. Since November 2024, a new area explores the farming of the Ardennes by the WOL III, a Nazi economic direction active in the forbidden zone, via a Lanz Bulldog tractor of the time. This new component in Western Europe highlights a systematic economic occupation. A children's journey, temporary exhibitions (drawing band, video games) and a museum rethought in 2018 complete the offer.
The museum is distinguished by its territorial anchor, highlighting local episodes such as the house of Bazeilles (1870) or the exodus of 1940, while contextualizing conflicts at the national level. His pedagogical and immersive approach aims to convey the memory of the Franco-German wars, emphasizing their human and social repercussions in the Ardennes. The site, managed by the municipality of Novion-Porcien, is part of the memory of the First World War and the conflicts of the 20th century, while addressing topics rarely addressed, such as Nazi economic colonization.
