Archaeology Istres, Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur

Musée archéologique René Giroussens

Archaeological museum in Istres, closed since 2012; it holds, among other things, finds from Istres and from the former port of Fos.

Temporarily closed

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Musée archéologique René GiroussensTemporarily closed

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Temporarily closed. The museum has been closed since 2012, after the ceiling sagged. Rehabilitation and extension studies have been announced; no reopening date has been published.

About the museum

The association Les Amis du vieil Istres founded a small museum in December 1947 to keep the objects discovered during its excavations. In 1948 it moved to a derelict house on rue du Portail Neuf, and in 1955 it was inaugurated as a regional archaeological centre and excavation depot. In 1987 it was transferred to a mansion (hôtel particulier) on Place du Puits Neuf, now Place José Coto. The association handed its collections over to the town, and the new museum, now run by the municipality, opened on February 17, 1989. Management passed in 1995 to the Ville nouvelle de Fos, and the museum received the “Musée de France” label in 2003.

The collections bring together archaeological remains from Istres and the former port of Fos, including amphorae and flint tools. The route covered the Crau, the lagoons and the coastline, and a room on the ground floor hosted temporary exhibitions.

In 2012, a 20 cm sag in the ceiling forced the museum to close. It has not reopened since. On July 24, 2024, the museum officially took the name René Giroussens, after the association’s founder, who had previously been unofficially called “René Beaucaire”. The city has announced studies to rehabilitate the building and add an extension in the courtyard. No reopening date has been published.