Musée de Mirecourt

About the museum

The idea of bringing together a collection devoted to violin making and bow making in Mirecourt came from the Groupement des luthiers et archetiers d’art de France (association of art violin makers and bow makers of France). The town council first discussed creating a museum in January 1973, and the Musée de la lutherie was inaugurated at the town hall on November 24, 1973, the feast of Saint Cecilia.

For decades, the collection was managed first by volunteers and then by the town, with the support of local associations. It was classified as a state-controlled museum (musée contrôlé par l’État) in 1989 and received the “Musée de France” label in 2002. From 2004, a large collections project was carried out: consolidation, cleaning, restoration of instruments, a computerised inventory and digitisation.

Since 2005, the exhibition has been presented in a renovated building on the banks of the Madon, the Maison du plus grand violoncelle (House of the Largest Cello). Management became intercommunal in 2017, and the museum took the name Musée de Mirecourt in 2018. Its current theme, “La fabrication de la musique” (The making of music), follows the instrument from the violin maker’s and bow maker’s workbench into the hands of the musician. Visitors can also see the museum’s workshop, a former workshop for plucked-string instruments of the Gérôme family, preserved on site.

Highlights

• Exhibition “La fabrication de la musique. Départ Mirecourt”
• Violin by Jean-Baptiste Vuillaume (1855) and violin by Nicolas Lupot (1820)
• Bows by the Bazin bow-making dynasty
• Gérôme family workshop, preserved on site
• Hands-on instruments to touch and try, activity booklet for children

Permanent exhibitions

• La fabrication de la musique. Départ Mirecourt – Route through the history of instrument making in Mirecourt, from the workbench to the musicians, with instruments, tools, sound archives and hands-on devices to touch and try.
• Atelier du musée (famille Gérôme) – Former workshop for plucked instruments where guitars and mandolins were made; preserved on site and visited with a mediator.

Founded

1973

Operated by

Communauté de communes Mirecourt Dompaire

Director

Mathilde Romary

Visitors per year

approx. 12,031

Admission & discounts

Free admission, on proof, for job seekers and recipients of the RSA, holders of the Pass communautaire of the Communauté de communes Mirecourt Dompaire, members of ICOM, journalists, violin makers, bow makers and violin-making students, as well as accompanying adults of children’s groups. Payment methods: cash, bank cards (Visa, Mastercard), cheques, Chèques-Vacances, Pass Culture.

Accessibility

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

Nearby parking with a space reserved for visitors with reduced mobility and a ramp at the back of the museum. Groups of people with disabilities are welcomed with adapted facilities.

Kids & families

Great for kids & families

• Family tours & workshops
• Activity booklet, scavenger hunt or kids’ audio guide
• Hands-on stations
• Kids’ birthday parties

Free activity booklet for children, instruments to try, musical awakening for 6 months to 6 years, escape game and workshops. Birthday parties at the museum for up to 10 children (€45).

Getting there & parking

By car: A31 motorway, exit 10 Neufchâteau-Mirecourt-Châtenois, or A330/N57, exit Charmes-Mirecourt. The museum’s various sites are within walking distance of the Cours Stanislas car park.

Amenities & dining

• Museum shop

Museum shop.

Events & venue rental

• Spaces for rent

Up to 50 guests.

Exclusive hire of the exhibition spaces: €95 without a guided tour (up to 50 people) or €160 with a guided tour (up to 30 people).

Plan your visit