Timeline

Key figures

Origin and history

The Vauban Museum originated in 1957, when it moved into the two rooms on the ground floor of the Belfort Gate, a key element of the Neuf-Brisach fortress. This stronghold, built between 1698 and 1704 under the direction of Vauban, embodies the climax of the 17th century French military architecture. The museum exhibits collections related to local, regional and military history, including weapons (shells, rifles, swords), helmets, as well as documents on fortification techniques and historic sieges, such as the 1870 and the Second World War. A sounded relief plan, exact reproduction of the one kept at the Musée des Plans-Reliefs in Paris, allows to visualize the fortress as designed by Vauban.

Since July 2018, the site also hosts the MAUSA Vauban, a museum of urban art and street art of 1,200 m2 integrated with UNESCO-listed ramparts. International artists intervene live to transform walls into contemporary works, creating a dialogue between historical heritage and modern creation. This project is part of a dynamic of valorisation of the site, combining military memory and current artistic expression. The Belfort Gate, where the museum is located, is a symbolic entry point to discover the ultimate realization of Vauban, a military engineer of Louis XIV.

Among the remarkable pieces are a bust of Vauban carved by Coysevox, as well as archives on the construction of the city, founded in 1699. The museum highlights the strategic role of Neuf-Brisach, a new city built ex nihilo to strengthen the eastern border of the Kingdom of France. Visitors explore both Vauban's technical heritage and the traces of the conflicts that marked the region, from Franco-German wars to two world wars.

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