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Heritage classified

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Origin and history

The Musée de Normandie was created in 1946 on the initiative of Georges-Henri Rivière, founder of the Musée national des Arts et Traditions populaires in Paris. The idea was born in 1945 during a visit to Caen, then in ruins after the Second World War, in the presence of Michel de Boüard, professor of history at the University of Caen, and Jean Vergnet-Ruiz, Inspector General of Museums. The project is validated by Mayor Yves Guillou, but the museum does not have any exhibition or collections. For twenty years, Michel de Boüard, appointed director, collects testimonies of Norman rural traditions with a small team, while the objects are stored in a barracks near Saint-Étienne-le-Vieux church.

Originally planned in the Man Abbey, the museum finally settles in the residence of the governors of Caen Castle, a medieval building remodeled in the 17th and 18th centuries. Restored by architect Jean Merlet, the building officially opened to the public in December 1963. In its early days, the museum is mainly dedicated to ethnography, with 19th-century objects. An archaeological hall was added in 1968, enriched by excavations carried out in Calvados, especially those directed by Michel de Boüard in the very enclosure of the castle.

The collections were considerably enriched in 1983 with the deposit of a large part of the objects of the Société des Antiquaires de Normandie, saved after the 1944 bombings. This collection includes 19th-century archaeological pieces, a medallist of 6,000 coins, and a major collection of revolutionary paper money. The museum is evolving towards a multidisciplinary approach, integrating archaeology, ethnology and history, with dynamic temporary exhibitions from the 1980s onwards. In 2004, the "wall halls", built in a 17th century artillery terrace, became a modern space for exhibitions, also revealing medieval remains such as a 14th century forge and house.

The museum of Normandy is distinguished by its various collections, covering prehistory (slex tools, neolithic trimmings), antiquity (status of the mother goddess of Saint-Aubin-sur-Mer, Gallo-Roman mosaics), the Middle Ages (slaying of the blacksmith's chief of Herouvillette, merovingian fibules), and modern and contemporary periods (normand cabinets, agricultural tools, traditional costumes). It showcases local know-how such as pottery, metallurgy, lace and cider manufacturing. Its museum trail, regularly updated, incorporates recent archaeological discoveries, such as the Gallo-Roman lead ingot found in 2021 off Courseulles.

Since its creation, the museum has played an active role in research, with a restoration laboratory opened in 1980 and reserves accessible to researchers. It also develops an ambitious pedagogical policy, offering tools for schools, thematic courses, and animations. Attendance peaks in 2013 with more than 150,000 visitors, before declining. The museum remains a key player in Normandy's heritage, a member of the Normandy museum network and a partner of the Société des antiquaires de Normandie, while lending its collections regularly for exhibitions in France and abroad.

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