Musée de la Préhistoire du Grand-Pressigny

About the museum

The museum is housed in the château of Grand-Pressigny, a 12th-century fortress remodelled during the Renaissance, on the border between Touraine and Poitou. The town played a central role in prehistory: at the end of the Neolithic, southern Touraine was home to one of the largest flint-knapping sites in western Europe, whose products were exported well beyond present-day French borders.

The first museum opened in October 1922 in the town hall, on the initiative of local scholars. It moved into the château in 1955. The Indre-et-Loire Department became the owner of the entire site in 1988. After a modernisation in 1991, the museum closed in 2007 for the construction of a new building by architect Bernd Hoge, and reopened in 2009.

The route presents the life of flint knappers and covers French prehistory over roughly 100,000 years, from the time of Neanderthal man to the Bronze Age. The collections are archaeological and palaeontological. One room is devoted to the history of the château, and tactile models show its successive building phases. The museum holds the “Musée de France” label.

Highlights

• Grand-Pressigny flint and the everyday life of master flint knappers in the Neolithic
• Archaeology lab with objects to observe, touch and smell
• Life-size reproductions of prehistoric animals in the courtyard
• The Neolithic polishing stone known as “Pierre Birette” in the château courtyard
• Tactile models showing the building phases of the château

Permanent exhibitions

• Parcours permanent de la préhistoire – Archaeological and palaeontological collections on prehistory, from the Palaeolithic to the Bronze Age, with a focus on Grand-Pressigny flint.
• Histoire du château – Room on the history of the château, with panels and tactile models showing several building periods.

Founded

1922

Operated by

Département d’Indre-et-Loire

Visitors per year

approx. 22,199

Admission & discounts

Free admission for children under 7, job seekers, recipients of minimum social benefits, journalists, ICOM members, tour guides, members of the Amis du Musée association and other categories, with proof. The Pass Privilège gives 10% off in the shop. The château's courtyards, moats and gardens are free to enter during opening hours. Payment: cash, cheques, bank card (from €1), Chèques-Vacances, Yeps, Pass Culture.

Accessibility

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

The museum is fully accessible and has held the Tourisme et Handicap label since 2010. Lift with audio announcements to all levels, two wheelchairs and folding seats available to borrow, accessible ticketing, adapted toilets, contrasting step edges, tactile studs, a guiding strip from the entrance to the reception, and an induction loop at reception. Signage in text and images, adapted tours on request. Tactile models of the château with Braille captions.

Kids & families

Great for kids & families

• Family tours & workshops
• Activity booklet, scavenger hunt or kids’ audio guide
• Hands-on stations
• Stroller-friendly
• Baby changing facilities

The museum has signed the Môm'Art charter (“joyful museums”). Activity booklets for ages 7 to 12 and for middle-school pupils are included in the ticket. Workshops and activities during holidays and weekends at 11:00, by booking, for children from age 4 depending on the workshop. Relaxation and reading corner, pushchair parking, baby-changing area and bottle warmer.

Getting there & parking

By car from Tours: A10 exit Sainte-Maure-de-Touraine, then La Celle-Saint-Avant and Descartes. From Bordeaux: A10 exit Châtellerault Nord, then La Roche-Posay and Lésigny. By bicycle: access via the voie verte linking Descartes to Tournon-Saint-Pierre and via loop no. 9 of the Circuit des 3 rivières; the museum holds the “Accueil Vélo” label (parking, water point, charging, lockers, repair kit).

Amenities & dining

• Café: not available
• Restaurant: not available
• Museum shop
• Coat check
• Wi-Fi

Free Wi-Fi “WI-FI Val de Loire Public” throughout the museum and in the château courtyards. No restaurant or coffee machine on site; picnic area in the garden. Luggage storage, drinking fountain and phone charging station. Restaurants and shops in the village. The shop, in the reception building, is open during museum hours.

Events & venue rental

The museum hasn’t published any information on this.

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