Musée de La Cour d'Or

About the museum

The museum was founded in March 1839 in a small space next to the municipal library, mainly with paintings of the city. It took the name Musée de la Cour d'Or in 1988, in reference to the palace of the Austrasian kings, which is believed to have stood on this site. A new building was added in 1935; the Roman baths discovered beneath the ground were preserved in place. After the library left in 1977, the current art and history museum opened in 1981.

The site brings together buildings from several periods: Gallo-Roman baths, the 15th-century Gothic granary of Chèvremont, and the baroque chapel of the Petits-Carmes, which has served as the entrance since 2018. The collections, some 6,000 objects, are divided among Gallo-Roman archaeology, the Middle Ages and fine arts, notably funerary stelae, medieval painted ceilings and works of the School of Metz.

The museum holds the Musée de France label. In August 2025 it opened the Pavillon de la Biodiversité, a permanent 360 m² space devoted to taxidermied animals, herbaria and minerals.

Highlights

• Gallo-Roman collections: funerary stelae, statuary and mosaics
• Medieval painted ceilings
• Paintings from the School of Metz and fine arts, 16th to 19th century
• Roman baths preserved beneath the museum
• Biodiversity Pavilion, opened August 2025

Permanent exhibitions

• Collections gallo-romaines, médiévales et beaux-arts – About 2,000 years of Metz's history: Gallo-Roman archaeology, medieval painted ceilings and paintings from the 16th to 19th century.
• Pavillon de la Biodiversité – A 360 m² space with taxidermied animals, herbaria and restored minerals, to understand and protect biodiversity.

Founded

1839

Operated by

Eurométropole de Metz

Visitors per year

approx. 91,248 (2019)

Admission & discounts

Admission is free.

Admission to the museum is free all year round. Only guided tours and workshops are paid, and some are free (discovery tours and thematic tours for adults, Sunday family workshops).

Accessibility

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

More than twenty rooms are accessible to all, with elevators and platform lifts; the baths and medieval rooms are reached by stairs only. The Gallo-Roman collections (excluding the baths) are all on one level. Most rooms have ramps, tactile floor guidance and benches, and sit-stand seats are available on request. Easy-to-read booklets (FALC) are available at reception. Adapted guided tours are offered for visitors with reduced mobility or visual or cognitive impairments.

Kids & families

Great for kids & families

• Family tours & workshops
• Activity booklet, scavenger hunt or kids’ audio guide
• Stroller-friendly: not available
• Baby changing facilities

Children's workshops during every school holiday period except Christmas, and family workshops every month. Free activity booklets at reception outside holidays, and postcards to find in the galleries during holidays. Strollers are not allowed on the route: a secure area is located on the first floor. Front baby carriers are permitted. Changing table in the restrooms.

Getting there & parking

On foot from Metz station, about 20 minutes via Place Saint-Louis, Fournirue, Place d'Armes and Rue du Chanoine Colin. By car: exit “Metz Centre” from the A31.

Amenities & dining

• Museum shop
• Lockers

Bookshop and shop. Secure lockers for belongings; backpacks are not allowed in the galleries. Restrooms at the entrance and halfway through.

Events & venue rental

The museum hasn’t published any information on this.

Plan your visit