Timeline

Key figures

Origin and history

The Ger ceramic museum, located in the hamlet of the Placister, bears witness to the flourishing pottery activity that marked Normandy from the 14th to the beginning of the 20th century. This site, a former potter village, highlights the stages of pottery production and the evolution of a rural proto-industry. Ger's potters, organized in fraternity, have mass produced waterproof sandstone pots, exported throughout France, thanks to a local clay rich in iron oxide and innovative ovens.

The peak of this activity was in the 19th century, with over 700 workers in 21 establishments. The potter families, such as the Verons and the Esneu, dominated the sector, especially for the production of butterpots, which were essential for the Norman trade. The industry declined at the beginning of the 20th century due to new materials and rising transport costs, finally extinguishing in 1927 with the closure of the last pottery.

The museum, opened in 1997 after ten years of restoration, presents a collection of 3,000 pieces, including utility pottery and exceptional objects. It reconstructs the workshops, the ovens (including a mixed model invented in the eighteenth century) and the living conditions of the potters. Scenography, redone in 2017, integrates the latest historical research and values local know-how, while offering educational workshops and contemporary exhibitions.

The site also includes spaces dedicated to the memory of potters, such as the house of the master potter, which illustrates the hierarchical organization of work. Local associations, such as Genealogy and HistoiRe or Terres d'échange, animate the place in connection with the descendants of potters and the current ceramicists. The museum is thus involved in the transmission of traditional techniques and the cultural revitalization of the rural territory.

The potters of Ger have marked history with their innovations, such as the production of drains for Breton cities in the 16th-17th centuries or the export of butterpots to the United States. Their decline reflects the economic upheavals of the twentieth century, but their legacy continues through the collections, internships and partnerships of the museum, which make it a living place of memory and creation.

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