Historial du Paysan Soldat

About the museum

The Historial du Paysan Soldat is run by the Communauté de communes Saint-Pourçain Sioule Limagne. It was inaugurated in November 2015 in Fleuriel, in the heart of the Allier, far from the former front lines. This choice reflects its purpose: to show the role of the countryside in both World Wars, with particular attention to the Bourbonnais area.

The museum occupies a former Bourbonnais farmhouse of 780 m², 450 m² of which are devoted to exhibitions. It comprises four buildings: a reception building with ticket office, shop and administration; a main building with the permanent route on the first floor and a temporary exhibition upstairs; a barn that each year hosts the exhibition of a collectors' association; and a multi-purpose hall. A central courtyard connects the whole.

On the occasion of the museum's tenth anniversary, the permanent route was entirely redesigned. It follows the lives of the peasants mobilised at the front and of the population who remained behind between 1914 and 1918, with objects, archives, testimonies, tactile panels and a reconstructed trench. The visit ends with a three-dimensional projection, without glasses, made from stereoscopic plates of the Section photographique de l'armée.

On the second floor, a commemorative list pays tribute to the 15,315 people from the Bourbonnais who died during the Great War. The museum plans to add a permanent route on the Second World War in the future.

Highlights

• Permanent route on peasants in the Great War, across three rooms
• Reconstructed trench for a sensory visit
• 3D film without glasses, made from period stereoscopic plates
• Commemorative list of the 15,315 people from the Bourbonnais who died in the war
• Former Bourbonnais farmhouse with central courtyard and shop

Permanent exhibition

• Les paysans dans la Grande Guerre – Chrono-thematic route across three rooms on the lives of peasant soldiers and the rural population between 1914 and 1918, with a reconstructed trench and a 3D film.

Founded

2015

Operated by

Communauté de communes Saint-Pourçain Sioule Limagne

Admission & discounts

Free admission with the Carte Culture, the ICOM card, the tour guide card (carte de guide conférencier) or the professional tourist pass (passeport touristique pro), and for donors, lenders and contributors (one entry per season). Payment in cash, by cheque, with ANCV holiday vouchers (chèques-vacances) or by bank card.

Accessibility

• Wheelchair accessible
• Elevator: no information
• Accessible restroom: no information
• Accessible parking
• Service dogs welcome
• Tactile models & exhibits: no information
• Sign language tours: no information
• Easy-to-read materials: no information
• Audio description: no information

The museum is fully accessible to people with reduced mobility. The car park has a space reserved for people with disabilities. Guide dogs and assistance dogs are welcome.

Kids & families

Great for kids & families

• Family tours & workshops

For young audiences, the museum offers guided tours, workshops such as trench crafts, correspondence or posters (from ages 6, 8 or 10 depending on the workshop) and outdoor activities for 7–10-year-olds, mainly aimed at school groups and after-school care (périscolaire).

Getting there & parking

Amenities & dining

• Museum shop

The shop sells souvenirs, including the official medal of the Monnaie de Paris, as well as books on the Great War. Picnic tables are set up near the museum.

Events & venue rental

The museum hasn’t published any information on this.

Plan your visit