Timeline

Key figures

Origin and history

The Museum of Saint-Dizier is rooted in the efforts of Jules-Félix Paulin, a member of the Société des Lettres de la Ville. In 1869, the City Council validated the project, and a first window was presented at the Town Hall in January 1870 thanks to donations of objects. The 1870 war interrupted the project for a decade, and the objects were returned. Launched in 1881 by Paulin, the museum permanently moved to the Town Hall in 1884, becoming a municipal property. Louis Houdard-Casalta was the first Conservative until 1909.

During World War II, part of the collections were dispersed. The museum reopened in 1950 under the direction of Vladimir Stchépinsky, who held this post until 1975. In 1964, he moved to the former Post Office Hotel, its current location at 17 rue de la Victoire. Closed from 2007 to 2013 for renovation and ten-year renovation, it organizes during this period a noted temporary exhibition, Our ancestors the Barbarians, which attracts more than 35,000 visitors.

The museum, which was labeled the Musée de France in 2002, now presents a variety of collections: a merovingian treasure room (including a rare runaway sword), an ornithological collection with a pre-Columbian mummy, the art fonts of the local foundries (Val d的Osne, Varenne), and regional archaeological objects, from Prehistory to the Middle Ages. Temporary exhibitions occupy the ground floor, while reserves and offices are upstairs.

The unique sword discovered on the Tuilery site, dating from the Merovingian period, is one of the museum's flagship objects. Engraved with the ALU inscription in the runic alphabet, it is interpreted as a symbol of power linked to Thierry I. Another particular feature of the museum is its ornithological hall, legatee of the Jean-François Lescuyer collection, exhibited in Art Deco windows, as well as a mummy brought back from Colombia in 1892 by Baron de Diétrich.

The foundries of Saint-Dizier, renowned for their artistic productions, are highlighted through works by Mathurin Moreau, Isidore Bonheur or Hector Guimard. These pieces illustrate the industrial and artistic importance of the city in the 19th and 20th centuries. Finally, the museum plays a central cultural role, located in the heart of Saint-Dizier, close to the Town Hall and the Winston-Churchill Square.

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