Timeline

Heritage classified

Key figures

Origin and history

The National Museum of Education (MUNAÉ) was founded in 1879 by Jules Ferry in Paris as the educational museum of the State. It was created from the collections presented at the Universal Exhibition of 1878, with the mission of improving teacher training by centralizing books, scientific materials and educational objects. Originally installed at the Bourbon Palace, then at the Rollin High School (now Jacques-Decour High School), he settled in 1885 in a building dedicated to the corner of Louis-Thuillier and Gay-Lussac streets. This project is part of the Republican will to modernize the school through the dissemination of educational resources.

In the 1970s, a second fund emerged in Rouen thanks to a director of the Regional Centre for Educational Documentation, who saved from the abandonment of old school furniture and books. This local heritage, enriched by donations, merged in 1975 with the Paris collections. In 1980, under the leadership of Minister René Haby, the museum was officially transferred to Rouen and took its current name. It settles in the house of the Four Sons Aymon, a 15th century building classified as a historical monument in 1961, symbol of the architectural heritage of Rouen.

Today the museum is structured around two sites: a centre of exhibitions in the medieval house, offering permanent and temporary collections on the history of education, and a modern resource centre (opened in 2010), housing 950,000 works, a study room and administrative services. His collections cover the Renaissance to this day, including paintings, prints, school materials, games, and an exceptional fund of youth literature. The institution also maintains archives on innovative pedagogies, such as aspect-based or audiovisual methods.

The house of the Four Aymon Sons, built in the last quarter of the 15th century for a rich draper, illustrates the typical wood-paned architecture of Rouen. Its two floors in corbellation, its bearing posts and its illuminated peak of skylights are a remarkable example. In the 19th century, it houses temporary marriages before being restored to become the heart of the museum in 1984. Its slates and its half-timbers classified in 1961 testify to its heritage importance.

The museum, labeled Musée de France, depends on the Canopé network and collaborates with the French Institute of Education. Its online databases and temporary exhibitions make it a key player in the preservation and dissemination of national educational history. Its Rouennais anchor, between medieval heritage and contemporary mission, makes it a unique place in Normandy.

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