Museums and historic sites

The Cevenol Museum, the Silk Museum, the Museum of the Desert (history of Protestantism), the Cambous prehistoric village, the Haribo Candy Museum in Uzès, the Glass Hall in Claret…

Before you come, remember to phone to confirm opening times 🙂

Less than an hour’s drive from Isis campsite in the Cevennes

Silk Museum at Saint-Hippolytte-du-Fort
Cevenol Museum at Le Vigan
Climatographer at Mount Aigoual
Cambous prehistoric village in Viols-en-Laval
Prehistorama: the museum of human evolution in Rousson
Museum of the Desert in Mialet (history of Protestantism)
Clara music school in Anduze
Museum of the Cevennes valleys in Saint-Jean-du-Gard
Witness Mine in Alès
The Glass Hall in Claret

Less than two hours by car from Isis campsite in the Cevennes

Haribo Candy Museum in Uzès

Silk Museum

Silk was the main industry in the Cevennes until the last world war. In the mid-19th century, along with Piedmont in Italy, the Cevennes was one of the two leading silk-producing regions in the world. In 1953, the Cevennes accounted for more than half of France’s cocoon production (26,000 tonnes). The Silk Museum bears witness to this prestigious past, which is fabulously rich in technical and cultural terms, as well as being a showcase for current production, which is one of the very last to have survived in Europe

The nec+: the museum offers you the chance to raise silkworms at home, at school, at your holiday centre… There are no major difficulties, just a few conditions to be met, and you’ll have the pleasure of watching the caterpillars being born, growing phenomenally in just over a month, making their cocoon where they metamorphose into a chrysalis and emerge as a butterfly

Practicalities:
→ From Tuesday to Saturday
Open from 10.30am to 12.30pm and from 2pm to 6pm
→ Closed on Sundays and Mondays
Closed from 29 December to 10 February
→ The museum is open on public holidays (except Sundays and Mondays)

Place du 8 mai 1945, 30170 Saint Hippolyte du Fort
Telephone: + 33 (0)4 30 67 26 94
More information?

Text and photo credits: Musée de la Soie

Cevenol Museum

Simple authenticity: the Cevenol Museum’s main quality

Situated near the Romanesque bridge at Le Vigan, in the unchanged setting of a medieval suburb built on the banks of the river Arre, the museum simply retraces the history of the Vigan region, using utilitarian objects and old artistic pieces. Thousands of testimonies have been gathered together, grouped under ethnological themes or left to the eye
A terrace overlooking the river, a garden, the massive but not monumental architecture of the Museum and the houses that surround it, make up a unique ensemble of astonishing richness.
No brutal renovation in the museum’s thirty-year history has disturbed the memory of a culture offered here to the visitor

Practicalities:
→ April – May – June – September – October
Open from Wednesday to Sunday between 10am and 12pm and between 2pm and 6pm
→ July – August
Open from Wednesday to Monday between 10am and 12pm and between 2pm and 6pm
→ November – December – January – February – March
Closed

Rue des Calquières, 30120 Le Vigan
Telephone: + 33 (0)4 67 81 06 86
More information?

Text credit: “Massif de l’Aigoual, Causses, Vallée Cévenoles” brochure
Photo credit: Musée Cévenol

Pic Saint-Loup Museum

Housed since 1951 in a fine Languedoc-style residence in the heart of the medieval village of Les Matelles, the Pic Saint-Loup Museum offers a broad overview of the region’s prehistory, from the Palaeolithic to the Final Neolithic
The collections come from the immediate vicinity of the village, rich in dolmens, caves and Copper Age villages. A wide variety of tools give us an idea of the daily life of our ancestors. Animal bones, axes, arrows, pottery and ornaments are complemented by explanatory panels
Visit the museum with your family! Educational booklets are available for children
The museum also hosts temporary exhibitions and events

Practicalities:
Opening times :
– March, April, May, October and November: Wednesday, Saturday and Sunday, 2.00pm to 6.00pm
– June, July, August, September: Wednesday to Sunday, 2.30pm to 6.30pm
Closed for the year in December, January and February, and on 1 May
Contact details: Pic Saint-Loup Museum, rue des Consuls, 34270 Les Matelles
Telephone: + 33 (0)4 67 55 17 00 / + 33 (0)4 99 63 25 46

Fire Brigade Museum

A collection unique in France, covering more than 700m2, allows visitors to discover the history of the fire brigade. Equipment, rare costumes, vehicles, the history of firefighters since the 19th century, slide shows, numerous miniature vehicles: the world of the firefighter in all its forms…

Practicalities:
Opening times:
– from 1st June to 14th September: open every day except Tuesday, from 10am to 12pm and from 2.30pm to 6.30pm
– 15 October to 31 May: open Saturdays and Sundays, 10am to 12pm and 2pm to 5.30pm
Other days by appointment 15 days in advance. Closed on 25 December and 1 January. Also open every day during school holidays
Special rates: Children under 12 – School groups – Groups of 12 or more
Fire Brigade Museum – Espace Marti-Ducros Place des Casernes, 30170 Saint-Hippolytte-du-Fort
Telephone: + 33 (0)4 66 77 99 86

The climatographer

Overlooking the Cevennes and the Languedoc, the climatographer, the last active mountain weather station in France, stands at the summit of the Aigoual at 1567 m altitude. Since 1894, men and machines have been monitoring the skies over France
In fine weather, you can enjoy a vast panorama, from Mont Ventoux to Mount Blanc, from Canigou to Pic du Midi, from the Puys chain to the Mediterranean
The Aigoual is the last mountain weather observatory in France. In this site of extraordinary beauty and extreme climatic conditions, the meteorologists invite you to discover the meteorological exhibition and museum located on the observatory’s premises
– The first part of the exhibition presents the activities of Météo France, observation, forecasting and climatology. Meteorologists on duty explain their work and answer questions, using tools that enable the public to visualise and monitor the weather situation in real time. Numerous explanatory panels (diagrams and photos) and a model of the weather recorded daily by 170 international centres explain the techniques used by meteorologists around the world. You can see clouds evolve thanks to satellite images, and discover meteorological instruments, maps, climate statistics and the various atmospheric phenomena
– The second part is dedicated to Mont Aigoual through the seasons. You can dream away in front of the 800 photographs of summer, autumn, winter and spring, as well as the video film or slide show on the big screen that tells the story of living and working conditions at the observatory
– The third part, located in the observatory cellars, deals with the history of the Aigoual: this is the museum! It displays the various measuring devices used from the end of the 19th century to the present day, as well as the records of weather data taken at the beginning of the century. Numerous photos relating to the reforestation of the Aigoual massif are also on display. The visit ends with three-dimensional models showing the main atmospheric disturbances and the water cycle

Practicalities:
→ From April to 7 July
Open every day from 10am to 1pm and from 2pm to 6pm
→ From 8 July to 31 August
Open every day between 10am and 7pm
→ From 1st September to the autumn holidays
Open every day from 10am to 1pm and from 2pm to 6pm

Mont Aigoual weather observatory, 30570 Valleraugue
Telephone: +33 (0)4 67 42 59 83
More information?

Text credits: Observatoire de Météo France
Text and photo credits: Le climatographe

Cambous prehistoric village

Whether you are passionate about prehistory or not, the site of the «Village de Cambous» in Viols-en-Laval is absolutely to discover: Cambous represents the site of the oldest village in France! This chalcolithic village (Copper Age) of Cambous presents two groups of huts in an excellent state of conservation belonging to the civilization of «Fontbouisse» (late Neolithic in our region), the whole is dated between 2700 and 2300 BC
Cambous was discovered in 1967 by Henri Canet who undertook the first excavations. Today, the archaeologists of the Society Languedocienne of prehistory voluntarily manage the site
A guided tour will make you discover the daily life of these distant ancestors from the archaeological remains and the reconstructed hut
Guided archaeological tour: on a one-day walking tour around the Viols-le-Fort sector
Throughout the archaeological trail, around the site, you can discover in the garrigues innumerable dolmens and hamlets of the type of «Cambous» in the communes of Viols-en-Laval and Viols-le-Fort. More than sixty Neolithic sites have been listed! Among them are four villages the size of Cambous and ten smaller hamlets
To see during this visit, the dolmen of the draille composed of a funeral chamber of very low height, preceded by an antechamber and an access corridor consisting of raised slabs
Prehistory and Archaeology discovery classes on the site of Cambous

Practicalities:
→ April – May – June – September – October
Open on Saturdays and Sundays between 2pm and 7pm
→ From 1 to 15 July and from 16 to 31 August
Open every day between 2pm and 7pm
→ From 16 July to 15 August
Open Monday to Thursday between 3pm and 7.30pm and Friday to Sunday between 9.30am and 7.30pm

Site de Cambous, 34380 Viols-en-Laval
Telephone: +33 (0)4 67 86 34 37
More information?

Text and photo credits: Préhistoire Cambous

Prehistorama: the museum of human evolution

Prehistorrama shows in a very lively way reconstructed scenes, based on scientific discoveries, with characters and animals made in life size. The visit begins with the appearance and evolution of life through the great geological eras: this part consists of a collection of fossils graciously lent by Mr. Bruno Guy, president of the association of the Friends of Prehistory
Prehistory is the central part of the museum. It begins with the appearance of Man about 6 million years ago and ends with the invention of writing in the third millennium BC. It presents in detail the evolution of Man from the Australopithecus (and the famous Lucy) to modern Man, through reconstructions carried out with great scientific rigour (Gerassimov method). You can also see the improvement of the living conditions of our ancestors through their various inventions
Much is devoted to the local fauna and flora of the last glaciation (which lasted from 80,000 to 10,000 years BCE) with reconstructions of mammoths, woolly rhinos, cave bears and other specimens
It takes about an hour to visit. This museum is adapted to the general public who wants to know those who formed the links of our slow evolution. A lively, concrete, educational and entertaining visit. The museum’s 70 windows are currently composed of:
– a collection of 500 fossils
– 36 dioramas scenes (life-size figures and animals reconstructed in landscapes of their places of origin)
– 35 human reconstructions
– 42 animal reconstitutions
– a collection of casts of human bones and skulls (8 showcases)
– an ethnographic collection with contemporary objects from tribal manufacture, sometimes unchanged since the Palaeolithic period
– some 20 potteries reconstructed using Neolithic techniques
– a small exposure to the anatomy of the present man

Practicalities:
→ From February to June
Open every day from 2pm to 6pm
→ July and August
Open every day from 10am to 6pm
→ September to November
Open every day from 2pm to 6pm

75 Chemin de Panissière, 30340 Rousson
Telephone +33 (0)4 66 85 86 96
More information?

Text and photo credits: Préhistorama

Museum of the Desert

In the heart of a hamlet Cevenol and its typical alleys, the Museum of the Desert, which was formed around the house of Rolland (one of the Camisards Chiefs), traces a century of the history of French Protestantism, the Revocation of the Edict of Nantes (1685) to the Edict of Tolerance in 1787.It revives the Huguenot past and the History of the Camisards
In a suite of fifteen rooms are exhibited nearly 2000 objects, books, authentic documents, which testify to the resistance of the Huguenots for their faith for several generations against the intolerance of power
There are the chairs of the Desert, foldable so as not to be compromising, Bibles of all sizes and forbidden Psalters, from abroad, where spiritual nourishment was drawn from the assemblies and the family to strengthen their faith. The weapons of the Camisards testify to the struggle that raged in the Cevennes. Many judgments and convictions recall the terrible repression of power, prisons and galleys. A magnificent collection of ancient Huguenot crosses, meanders and medals, manuscripts, works of art and folk tradition of the Cevennes that serve as a backdrop for the history that has so marked this region…

Practicalities:
→ From 1 March to 30 November
Every day between 10am and 12.30pm and between 2pm and 6pm
→ Open on Sundays and public holidays

Le Mas Soubeyran, 30140 Mialet
Telephone: +33 (0)4 66 85 02 72
More information?

Text and photo credits: Musée du désert

Clara music school in Anduze

Clara music school in Anduze:
– a musical journey around the world
– a collection of over 1000 instruments
– educational workshops
– travelling exhibitions of 80 to 300 instruments
– shop, mail order
Clara music school in Anduze offers us a journey through continents, eras, discovering materials, stamps, rhythms, various instrumental invoices, evoking the climates, landscapes, history and traditions of peoples
To better understand the evolution and diversity of this essential human expression that has been music for millennia, you can admire the collection in the showcases and attend the commented instrumental demonstrations
The Nec+: they can move part of the museum’s reserves throughout France and Europe within a radius of 1000 kms around Anduze
From 80 to 300 instruments judiciously chosen to represent the music of the world and its evolution. A music guide accompanies the exhibition to make demonstrations. The exhibitions are intended for schools, town halls, libraries, craft houses, etc. Their duration can vary from 2 days to 3 months or more…

Practicalities:
→ Open on Tuesdays between 1pm and 7pm
→ Open on Wednesdays between 8.30 a.m. and 12 noon and between 1 p.m. and 5 p.m.
→ Open on Fridays between 3am and 5.30pm
Closed during school holidays

4 route d’Alès, 30140 Anduze
Telephone: +33 (0)4 66 24 41 20
More information?

Museum of the Cevennes valleys

The Museum of the Cevennes valleys allows, thanks to its rich collections, a complete discovery of the Cevennes: how man has built and maintained the landscapes, chestnut culture, silk work, rural and craft activities, housing and furniture, household utensils…
It reflects the traditional daily life of the Cevennes. There are different geographical areas:
– the high plateaus of Atlantic influence with the tabular summits of Lozère, Bougés and Aigoual, to which you can join the small Causses such as Cam de l’Hospitalet. These regions have a sylvo-pastoral vocation complemented by a cereal tradition
– the high schistose valleys, for the most part influenced by the Mediterranean, are an area of varied polyculture where, however, chestnut has played a major role
– the low valleys and foothills bordering the Lower Languedoc plain have more widely been influenced by the Mediterranean;
Vines and olive trees are strongly present. The mulberry tree and the breeding of the silkworm, like the strong Protestant majority, unite them as much in the high valleys as in the immediate Bas-Languedoc

Practicalities:
→ From 1 May to 30 September
Open from Tuesday to Sunday between 10am and 12.30pm and between 1.30pm and 6pm
→ From 1 October to 31 December and from 1 February to 30 April
Open from Wednesday to Sunday between 2pm and 6pm

5 rue de l’industrie, 30270 Saint-Jean-du-Gard
Telephone: +33 (0)4 66 85 10 48
More information?

Text and photo credits: Maison rouge Musée

Witness Mine

Opened in 1985, the Witness Mine reused the galleries of the centre that trained generations of miners. Everything is reconstructed in conditions close to reality: headframe, elevator descent with special effects and extraction galleries
A journey to the heart of the mineral world tracing with precision the entire mining saga in the Cevennes from 1880 to 1960, from coal cutting to the peak through the jackhammer to the shearer
“Undoubtedly one of the most surprising industrial archeology museum in France” according to the Guide du routard:-)

Practicalities:
→ From February to October
Open Tuesday to Sunday between 9.30am and 12.30pm and between 2pm and 6pm
→ From July to August
Open Tuesday to Sunday between 10am and 7pm

Cité Sainte Marie – Quartier de la Rochelle, 30100 Alès
Telephone: +33 (0)4 66 30 45 15
More information?

Text and photo credits: Mine Témoin

Mineralogical Museum

The Mining School in Alès was founded in the middle of the 19th century in the heart of an industrial region where mining, metallurgy, chemistry and the development of railways play a leading role; it is in this context that the school and its museum develop. A showcase for the world of minerals, the richness and variety of geological landscapes, it becomes the memory of an important moment in history and knowledge. This museum was gradually constituted by some purchases, but especially thanks to the donations of former students or enlightened amateurs. The Mineralogical Museum of the Ecole des Mines d’Alès includes three collections:
– the mineralogical collection which, recently enriched by the donation of the P. and M. FITTE collection, has risen to the highest French rank
– the paleontological collection, which presents an interesting panorama of local fossil organisms, a reflection of life over the last 600 million years of Earth’s history. This collection benefited from donations from the collections of the coal mines and the municipal museum of Colombier
– the petrographic collection, an essentially educational collection dedicated to regional rocks and natural materials;

Practicalities:
The Mineralogical Museum is open to the public from June 15 to September 15, from 2pm to 6pm, Monday to Friday
Open all year for groups by appointment
CMGD Ecole des Mines d’Alès 6, avenue de Clavières, 30319 Alès Cedex FRANCE
Telephone: + 33 (0)4 66 78 56 22 or + 33 (0)4 66 78 51 69/ Fax: + 33 (0)4 66 78 56 80

The Glass Hall

Opened in 2009, this major site for structuring cultural and tourism policy is at the heart of the Chemin des verriers
The Glass Hall is an interpretation centre on the history and techniques of glass in the Mediterranean basin, from antiquity to the present day. On 550m2, it presents, for the first time in France, the archaeological research on the glass trade in antiquity, but also, the furniture from the excavations of Couloubrines and Seube, witness of a history of local glass that of the glass gentlemen of the Causse de l’Orthus …
Nec+: Children’s course

Practicalities:
→ Variable opening times

50 Avenue du Nouveau Monde, 34270 Claret
Telephone: +33 (0)4 67 59 06 39
More information?

Text and photo credits: Grand Pic Saint Loup

Haribo Candy Museum

Discover the enticing history of a century of confectionery with the Haribo Candy Museum! Let them tell you the wonderful story of Candy. Sweet, fruity, acidulous, come find these flavors that punctuate childhood, and discover, in this magical place, the delicious recipes of those you love so much
Come and discover our «infernal machines» and have fun recognizing the scent of the fruits with which HARIBO makes its delicious sweets. Strawberry, pineapple, banana, so many scents enclosed in pretty boxes as if the fruits were in a basket
Tasting: you can taste these delicious sweets, the result of their passion and great technique. With your eyes wide open, you can then collect your winnings by playing the bagger of CARENSAC…

Practicalities:
→ Open from Tuesday to Sunday between 10am and 8pm

Pont des Charrettes, 30700 Uzès
Telephone number: +33 (0)4 66 22 74 39
More information?