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Origin and history

Louis Pasteur's home, located at 43 Pasteur Street in Dole (Jura), is a building built in the 18th century (probably in 1744), with elements dating back to the 16th century. In 1767 it housed a tannery, an activity carried out by the Pasteur family. Louis Pasteur was born there on 27 December 1822 in the former Tanneurs district in the heart of Dole. His father, Jean-Joseph Pasteur, worked there as a tanner, perpetuating a family tradition. In 1883, Pasteur inaugurated a commemorative plaque on the facade and delivered a moving speech in tribute to his parents.

The house was acquired by the city of Dole in 1912, then transformed into a museum for the centenary of its birth. Inaugurated in 1923 by President Alexandre Millerand, the museum presents personal objects, family memories and elements of his scientific discoveries. Part of the collection comes from the legacy of Louis Pasteur Vallery-Radot, his grandson. The nearby house, dating from the 16th century and bought in 1934, allows to enlarge the museum space. The vaulted cellars, remains of the paternal tannery, are preserved and visible.

Ranked a Historic Monument in 1923 and labeled Maisons des Illustres, the house-museum offers a dive into the privacy of the scientist and his family environment. The course revolves around 8 exhibition rooms, including a reconstruction of Jean-Joseph Pasteur's artisan tannery. The museum, managed by the EPCC Terre de Louis Pasteur, is open from April to October, with schedules adapted in low season. A renovation in 1995 and an expansion in 2007 modernized its museum.

The facades of cut stone, the vaulted cellars in the cradle and the terraces overlooking the Tanneurs canal testify to the architecture associated with tanning activity. The semi-croup cover of No. 43 contrasts with the appetites of the inner courtyard and the dryer of No. 41, built in the 16th century. These architectural details, combined with the still visible tanks and pits, illustrate the living and working environment of the Pasteur family before they left for Arbois in 1830.

The museum also maintains archives related to the inauguration of 1923, such as Pasteur's speech in 1883, engraved on a plaque. The objects exhibited, including personal writings and scientific instruments, are partly from family donations. The house, owned by the municipality, remains a major place of memory, celebrating the legacy of one of the greatest French scientists, whose discoveries marked the history of medicine and chemistry.

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