Musée Vodou

Om museet

The museum occupies a neo-Romanesque water tower built between 1878 and 1883 near Strasbourg railway station. It supplied water to steam locomotives, and railway workers could also bathe in communal cubicles. Abandoned at the end of the 1950s, the building was listed as a historic monument in 1983. Marc Arbogast bought it in 2005 and entrusted its renovation to the architect Michel Moretti; the works were completed in November 2013.

The collection was assembled from 1963 onwards by Marc and Marie-Luce Arbogast during numerous trips to Benin, Togo, Ghana and Nigeria. It now holds more than 1,200 ritual objects (statuettes, masks, altars, divination objects). The museum is run by an association and presents itself as the only European museum entirely dedicated to Vodou.

The permanent exhibition shows around 220 pieces and aims to place Vodou in its religious and philosophical context, far from the clichés of cinema. In 2025, the team reorganized the storerooms and carried out a complete inventory (récolement); one storage area is now open to the public on certain days. An online inventory is being compiled.

Højdepunkter

• More than 1,200 ritual objects from West Africa, about 220 of them on permanent display
• Neo-Romanesque water tower of 1878, formerly a reservoir for steam locomotives
• Figures from the Vodou pantheon such as Hébiéso, Mami Wata and Aguin
• Virtual reality experiences: four ceremonies filmed in Benin
• Museum storerooms open to the public on Wednesdays and Saturdays

Permanent udstilling

• Le vodou, l'art de voir autrement – About 220 objects from the Arbogast collection present West African Vodou: deities, divination objects, protective and ritual objects.

Ejer

Association du Château Vodou (musée privé associatif)

Entrépriser & rabatter

The audio guide and a children’s activity booklet are included in the ticket. As the museum is private and association-run, free admission on the first Sunday of the month does not apply. Advance tickets are valid for one year.

Tilgængelighed

• Kørestolsvenlig
• Elevator: ingen oplysninger
• Handicaptoilet: ingen oplysninger
• Handicapparkering: ingen oplysninger
• Servicehunde tilladt: ingen oplysninger
• Taktile tilbud: ingen oplysninger
• Rundvisninger på tegnsprog: ingen oplysninger
• Letlæste tilbud: ingen oplysninger
• Synstolkning: ingen oplysninger

The museum states that it is accessible to people with reduced mobility. Dogs are not admitted.

Børn og familie

Velegnet til børn og familierAnbefales fra 4 år

• Familieomvisninger & workshops
• Opgavehæfte, skattejagt eller audioguide for børn

The museum welcomes children from the age of 4. An activity booklet is included in the ticket, and family visits are offered regularly. It can help to prepare younger children for the large objects. Virtual reality is not recommended for children under 16.

Transport & parkering

Service & spisesteder

• Museumsbutik

The Mythik shop sells African crafts, jewellery, books, honey and coffee; it is open to all daily from 14:00 to 18:00.

Arrangementer & udlejning

• Lokaler til leje
• Private fester
• Firmaarrangementer
• Bryllupper / vielser

Op til 110 personer.

Flexible spaces across three floors: up to 110 people standing, 80 seated for a lecture or 60 for a seated meal (on the 3rd floor). Hire possible from €150 for an empty room; catering on request.

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