Timeline

Key figures

Origin and history

The Old Perugia Museum was created in 1912 by the Old Perugia Defence and Conservation Committee to preserve and enhance objects related to local history. Set in the Prince's House, a building classified as historical monuments, it includes a watchtower with panoramic views of the medieval city, the Ain plain and the Coast. The museum exhibits artifacts from archaeological excavations (such as those of the Tombean Cross necropolis), traditional Bresse furniture, ancient tools, manuscripts (including an original edition of the Dictionnaire de Trevoux), as well as paintings and sculptures. A weaving room, located at the top of the tower, features weaving looms, weaving looms and wheels, illustrating local craftsmanship.

Outside, the hortulus, a medieval garden listed in the Merimée base, is divided into three thematic spaces: a love square (piony, violet, lily), a medicinal square (sauge, mint, valerian) and a vegetable square (rhubarb, parsley, spices). This cutting reflects the horticultural uses of the Middle Ages. In 2018, the museum hosted a temporary exhibition of 39 lithographs by Marc Chagall, marking its opening to contemporary art while anchoring its identity in historical heritage.

The museum's collections, owned by the Association of Old Peruges, come from donations from local families. They cover various fields: national archaeology, ethnology (costumes, furniture, handicraft tools), history and decorative arts (ceramic, tins, wrought iron). The Prince's House, an ancient residence of the Princes of Savoy, also houses archives, ancient coins and musical instruments, providing a complete panorama of medieval and post-medieval life in the region. The museum benefits from the label Musée de France and is located in Place du Tilleul in Peruges, in the department of Ain.

The watch tower, accessible during the visit, allows to observe emblematic monuments of the city, such as the church-fortress. His permanent exhibition on weaving highlights a major economic activity in Peruges, while the household objects, faiences and ironwork exhibited illustrate the daily lives of the inhabitants. The museum thus plays a key role in the transmission of local history, combining heritage conservation and cultural mediation.

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