Timeline

Key figures

Origin and history

In 1998, a first programming document for the Vendée History was presented to the Departmental Assembly and adopted unanimously. This project, which entered into the State-Region contract in 2000, is complemented by a "scientific and cultural project" defining the museum's objectives, the means to be mobilized and the collections to be valued. A European architectural competition is launched to design an innovative building, respectful of its rural environment classified as "sensitive natural space". Plan 01, winner, offers a discreet integration via a green roof of 8,000 m2, mimicing a meadow, and a structure combining steel, glass and concrete to combine lightness and resistance.

Construction began in September 2003, and the Historial opened in June 2006. Its museum design, designed by the Museum Conservation, focuses on immersive decors, audiovisual projections and light games to showcase nearly 19,000 objects from departmental collections. The themes covered cover a broad spectrum, from prehistory to the contemporary Vendée, to the Vendée War and the 19th century. The museum is also distinguished by a children's area and a cafeteria offering views of the preserved landscape.

Historial is a bridge between heritage and modernity, with an architecture that dialogues with its environment. The plant roof, composed of carpets pre-cultivated in the Black Forest, ensures a triple seal while strengthening visual harmony with the surrounding natural spaces. The glass facades, covering nearly 1,000 m2, create transparency between interior and exterior, inviting visitors to discover both the collections and the classified site. This project embodies a desire to reconcile heritage conservation, technological innovation and ecological respect.

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