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Key figures

Origin and history

The Museum of Decorative Arts in Strasbourg is housed in the former residence of the prince-bishops, the Rohan Palace, built between 1739 and 1742. It originated in the Hohenlohe-Museum, founded in 1890 by Wilhelm von Bode and transferred to the Rohan Palace in 1898. His collections cover two main axes: the Rohan cardinals' apartments, reconstituted after the 1870 and 1944 bombings, and the Strasbourg decorative arts from 1681 to 1871, including earthenware, goldsmiths and rococo furniture.

The collections come in particular from the manufacture of earthenware by the Hannong brothers and the Niderviller earthworks, illustrating the golden age of the Strasbourg craft industry in the 18th century. The apartments, decorated with stucco, frescoes and chinery, reflect the rococo and First Empire styles. After 1918, the museum was reorganized to showcase the history of applied arts, focusing on Strasbourg and its region, while integrating mechanical toys from the Tomi Ungerer foundation.

The classic Rohan Palace was built by Robert de Cotte for Cardinal Armand Gaston of Rohan-Soubise. It follows the Parisian model of hotels between courtyard and garden. The museum's collections, exhibited in the stables' wing, bear witness to local know-how, with goldsmithy pieces from the Kirstein and Imlin dynasties, as well as internationally renowned ceramics.

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