Life of Jules Verne 1828-1905 (≈ 1867)
Birth and death of the native writer.
1872-1878
Construction
Construction 1872-1878 (≈ 1875)
House by Ernest-Marie Buron.
1965 et 1973
Purchase by the City
Purchase by the City 1965 et 1973 (≈ 1973)
Gradual acquisition of the home.
1978
Opening of the museum
Opening of the museum 1978 (≈ 1978)
Creation for the 150th anniversary.
2005
Museum renovation
Museum renovation 2005 (≈ 2005)
Centenary of Verne's death.
2015
Becoming Metropolitan
Becoming Metropolitan 2015 (≈ 2015)
Transfer to Nantes Metropole.
Aujourd'hui
Aujourd'hui
Aujourd'hui Aujourd'hui (≈ 2025)
Position de référence.
2028 (prévu)
Projected relocation
Projected relocation 2028 (prévu) (≈ 2028)
To the old Hennebique mill.
Key figures
Jules Verne - Writer
Central figure of the museum.
Ernest-Marie Buron - Architect
Designer of the house-museum.
Jean Bruneau - Artist painter
Co-founder of the museum in 1978.
Luce Courville - Conservative
Co-founder, municipal library.
Origin and history
The Jules-Verne Museum is a Nantes museum founded in 1978, dedicated to the writer Jules Verne (1828-1905), originally from the city. Set in a large bourgeois house built between 1872 and 1878 by architect Ernest-Marie Buron, he exhibited manuscripts, personal objects, illustrations and documents related to the author. Although this house has no direct connection to Verne, his parents owned a nearby country house, still visible at 29 bis rue des Reformes.
The museum was created on the occasion of the 150th anniversary of Jules Verne's birth, thanks to the initiative of artist Jean Bruneau and Luce Courville, curator of the municipal library. The building, divided into apartments in the 20th century, was purchased by the City of Nantes in 1965 (upper part) and 1973 (lower part). Renovated in 2005 for the centenary of the writer's death, it became a metropolitan equipment in 2015.
A move project is planned for 2028 towards the old mill of the "Grands Moulins de Loire", a historic building built in 1895 according to the Hennebique process. This new site, four times larger, will host enriched collections, a library, a restaurant and terraces. The current building, located at 3 rue de l'Hermitage, overlooks the Loire and offers views of the port and the St Anne's stairway.
The mill, transformed into a warehouse and then into an office (building CAP 44), represents a major industrial heritage. Its renovation would enhance its pioneering reinforced concrete architecture, while providing a modern setting to celebrate Jules Verne's work. The future museum will also include municipal library funds and new acquisitions.
