Timeline

Key figures

Origin and history

The municipal museum was founded in 1896 and was originally installed in two halls of the town hall. Its transfer in 1909 to a part of the ancient 18th-century Hôtel-Dieu, located in Pithiviers, marked a first step in its development. This historic building still preserves today a mural dated 1790-1791 in the choir of its chapel, restored in 2004.

In 1974, the museum was enlarged to reach its current configuration. Its collections, made up of donations from Pithiverians, bequests and acquisitions by the Society of Friends of the Museum, cover various fields: local archaeology (from Prehistory to the Middle Ages), fine arts, ethnology, and extra-European objects (Africa, Oceania, Asia). Among its assets are a collection of musical instruments, Italian and French drawings from the 16th to 19th centuries, and a workshop dedicated to the painter Désiré Lubin (1854–1929).

The museum is labeled "Museum of France" and is distinguished by its local anchor, with pieces such as the first grain silo designed by Duhamel du Monceau, or religious statues reflecting regional art. Its military collections (arms, artillery) and scientific collections (malacology, mineralogy) complement this cultural panorama, while emphasizing the role of this institution in preserving the Pithivian heritage and beyond.

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