Creation of the museum 7 août 1860 (≈ 1860)
Municipal creation decree in Poligny.
1862
Discovery of bones
Discovery of bones 1862 (≈ 1862)
Dinosaur bones in the forest of Chasagne.
1939-1945
Closing during the war
Closing during the war 1939-1945 (≈ 1942)
Museum closed during World War II.
1964
Museum reopening
Museum reopening 1964 (≈ 1964)
End of post-war closure.
2013
Partnership Agreement
Partnership Agreement 2013 (≈ 2013)
Agreement with the Jura General Council.
Aujourd'hui
Aujourd'hui
Aujourd'hui Aujourd'hui (≈ 2025)
Position de référence.
Key figures
Augé de Lassus - Herbarium collector
Financial collector and botanist.
Origin and history
The Poligny Municipal Museum was officially established on August 7, 1860 by an order of the City Council. Its collections, enriched by donations, purchases and exchanges, cover various fields such as archaeology, ethnology, fine arts, ornithology and paleontology. His remarkable pieces include dinosaur bones discovered in 1862 in the forest of Chasagne during the construction of the Besançon-Lyon railway line, as well as ethnological objects from Kabylie, New Caledonia and the Marquesas Islands.
The museum closed during World War II and reopened only in 1964. In 2013, a partnership agreement was signed between the city of Poligny and the Conseil général du Jura, entrusting the departmental conservation of the heritage with the scientific monitoring of the collections. The museum is associated with the Town Hall, former bailliage and old prisons, and has unique collections such as a herbarium of 4,500 samples collected in the 19th century by Augé de Lassus, as well as two photographs albums from the 1880s-1890s taken in Tahiti and New Caledonia.
The museum is labeled "Musée de France" and is located in the commune of Poligny, in the Jura department, in the Burgundy-Franche-Comté region. His address is linked to the town hall, and he enjoys an approximate location at 49 Grande Rue. Despite geographical accuracy, it remains a major cultural place in the region, attracting enthusiasts of natural history and ethnology.
