Timeline

Key figures

Origin and history

The Musée de la ville de Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines originated in the creation of an ecomuseum in 1977, initiated by Bernard Hugo, Mayor of Trappes and President of the Établissement Public d'Amenagement (EPA) de Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines. Inspired by the Creusot ecomuseum, this project aimed to preserve local memory, particularly agricultural and railway, while documenting the construction of the new city launched by the State in 1965. Serge Goldberg, EPA's first director, supported this approach to socioculturally animate this rapidly changing territory.

In 2002, the museum moved close to the theatre of Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines and adopted its current name, refocusing on contemporary urban planning and social transformations since the 1970s. It becomes a place of memory linked to the new city, exploring lifestyles, architecture and public art. Its collections, enriched with design objects, architectural models and documents on urban development, illustrate this unique adventure in France.

Since 2017, the museum has covered the history of the 12 communes of Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines, from prehistory to today. Located at MUMED (quai François Truffaut), it offers a renewed permanent exhibition, It was once Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines, combining material heritage, digital terminals and interactive manipulations. Labeled City of Art and History in 2006, the agglomeration showcases its heritage through cultural visits and events.

The museum's collections are distinguished by their focus on design and everyday objects of the second half of the 20th century, reflecting the evolution of lifestyles (ephemeral furniture, plastic, bright colours). Other valuable funds include pre-urbanization agricultural tools, railway archives (including Trappes Yard, 1911), old postcards, and public equipment models. A resource centre completes these collections, providing researchers with paper, sound and iconographic archives.

The museum organizes temporary thematic exhibitions, often focused on societal and urban change. Among them, Plastic! Plastoc? (2013-2014), Space Age (2023), or Prisunic, design for all! (2022, in collaboration with the Musée des Arts Décoratifs de Paris) marked the minds. These exhibitions are based on a participatory approach, combining emotional, playful and forward-looking, to involve the public in the reflection on the city of tomorrow.

Since its creation, the museum has been part of a process of exchange and experimentation, offering educational visits, workshops and events related to the City of Art and History label. His role goes beyond conservation: he questions the identity of a territory born of modern urbanism, where public art, architecture and collective memory intersect to tell a story that is always moving.

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