National Archaeology Museum
Museum/Theme Park - Palaeolithic, Mesolithic, Neolithic, Bronze Age, Iron Age, Roman, Medieval
France's National Archaeology Museum is housed in what was once a royal palace - the Château de Saint-Germain-en-Laye. In the 1860s Napoleon III had the castle restored to house the nation's archaeology collections. Today, the museum has a vast collection of objects from all over the country representing all periods in prehistory, from the earliest Palaeolithic to the early Medieval.
- Site Information
- Photos
- Nearby Sites
- Comments (1)
Practical Information
Click map for large view
Location: France - Paris & Île-de-France - Yvelines - Saint-Germain-en-Laye
The Musée d'Archéologie Nationale is about 20 kilometres from the centre of Paris, but it is well served by public transport. There is a Metro station in front of the entrance - RER Line A for Saint-Germain-en-Laye. Details of the various bus routes that stop nearby are on the museum's website.
For those coming from outside Paris by car or bus, getting to the museum is very easy - again details are on the museum's website.
Onsite Facilities: open year round, onsite restaurant, onsite souvenir/book shop, wheelchair accessible, photography permitted, events programme, children's activities, self guiding allowed
Official Website: National Archaeology Museum
History & Archaeology
As France's national archaeology museum, the Musée d'archéologie nationale has archaeological collections covering all periods from all over France. The permanent exhibitions includes all periods of France's prehistory right up to the early Medieval period.
The final permanent exhibition room is called "L'archéologie Comparée" (Comparative Archaeology). Here, the museums collections of archaeological artefacts from five different continents are displayed.
There is also a temporary exhibition area, in which the museum has staged some exceptional exhibitions in the past.
Do not forget to have a look inside the castle moat - besides a replica of a part of Trajan's column from Rome, there are a few Neolithic sites that have been removed from their original positions (in the Poitou-Charentes and the nearby Yvelines department) and re-constructed in the moat. Some of these are even visible in the Google map.
Next to the castle is a German Blockhouse from World War II. During the second World War the castle was used as the headquarters for the German army in France. And, it was here that on 10 September 1919 the Treaty of Saint-Germain-en-Laye was signed, a treaty that brought an end to hostilities between Austria and the Allies of World War I.
Tours Including National Archaeology Museum
Photos
Click thumbnail to see large version of photo.
> See more photos on Flickr
Nearby Sites
Sites up to 50 km away as the crow flies. Click to see Nearby Sites on a Google Map.
- Guimet Museum 15 km / 9 miles
- Cernuschi Museum 16 km / 10 miles
- Cluny Roman Baths 19 km / 12 miles
- National Museum of the Middle Ages 19 km / 12 miles
- Notre Dame Archaeological Crypt 19 km / 12 miles
- The Louvre 19 km / 12 miles
- Paris Amphitheatre 20 km / 12 miles
- Carnavalet Museum 20 km / 12 miles
- Orville 33 km / 20 miles
- Archéa Archaeology Museum 34 km / 21 miles
- Roman Senlis 49 km / 30 miles
Site owner or manager? Proprietaires ou gestionnaires des sites?
Resources
- Of Bronze & Gold A review and photo-gallery of the Bronze Age temporary exhibition at the National Archaeology Museum, France
-
Rough Guide to Paris
(Amazon.com)
-
Rough Guide to Paris
(Amazon.co.uk)
Thomas (10 comments)
February 2, 2012
I made the Bronze Age temporary exhibition by he skin of my teeth - it closed Monday and I used that as an excuse to visit the museum again. See my photo-gallery in the Archaeology Travel blog.
I like this museum, it really does have a lot, even if it is somewhat traditional. But, there is very little in the way of information for people who do not read French - but that is my only criticism. This does not stop you being able to go round the Museum and see a vast array of artefacts from all periods of France's archaeological past, and from all over France.
So if archaeology is your passion - and you are restricted to Paris, I strongly recommend the Musée d'Archéologie Nationale. Besides, Saint-Germain-en-Laye is a nice town with some very good cafes and restaurants near the museum, and the castle is set at the top of an interesting park.