Musée des Métiers
Museum of crafts and daily life in the 19th and 20th centuries, spread over 5,000 m² in a reconstructed village in Anjou style in Saint-Laurent-de-la-Plaine.
No sound? Check your device’s silent switch.
Have only individual sections read aloud
About the museum
The museum was founded in the late 1960s in Saint-Laurent-de-la-Plaine. According to the story told on its website, the carpenter Victor Perrault one evening meets the blacksmith Abel Delaunay, who is carrying old tools in a wheelbarrow that have become useless after the modernization of his workshop. The two friends decide to keep them and pass them on to future generations. The first tools are displayed in the town hall attic, then in the village theatre.
In 1974, the village’s former presbytery, a building dating from 1779, was restored and entrusted to the association that manages the collections. Donations and bequests multiplied, and the premises became too small. Several extensions followed, in the 18th-century style and using local materials such as slate, tufa and oak. The barn and the House of Fashion were built in 1984, the paved street in 1987, and a reception building in 2001.
Today the museum occupies around 5,000 m² and presents more than thirty craft trades, as well as everyday objects from the 19th and 20th centuries. The collections hold more than 17,000 objects, displayed in typical Anjou buildings, including a press room, a distillery room, an attic and a room devoted to the path from grain to bread. A paved street is lined with artisans’ workshops.
Highlights
- More than thirty craft trades on around 5,000 m²
- More than 17,000 objects in buildings in Anjou style
- Paved street lined with artisans’ workshops
- Press room, distillery room, attic and room on the path from grain to bread
- Workshops and games for children during school holidays
Permanent exhibitions
- Collections des métiers d'autrefois – More than thirty craft trades and everyday objects from the 19th and 20th centuries, in a reconstructed village in Anjou style.
- Salle des pressoirs et salle des alambics – Rooms devoted to presses and stills, among the museum’s thematic areas.
- Founded
- 1970
- Operated by
- Association du Musée des Métiers
Admission & discounts
| Adults | €9.50 |
|---|---|
| Reduced | €8.50Students, people with disabilities, job seekers, holders of the Cezam card, the Carte Loisirs or the Gîtes de France passport |
| Children & teens | €6.50free up to age 5 · Rate for ages 6 to 15; free for children under 6. |
| Visitors with disabilities | €8.50 |
| Students & apprentices | €8.50 |
| Families | €30Package for 2 adults and 2 children. |
| “Little candle-makers” workshop (per child) | €7During school holidays, from age 3, by registration. |
| “Little craftspeople” workshop (child) | €8.50Visit and making an object, from age 8, by registration; accompanying adult €7. |
| Storytelling at the museum (per child) | €5For ages 2 to 5, from 2 children, by reservation. |
| Giant Cluedo (per team) | €102 to 6 players, from age 7, duration 2 hours, by reservation. |
The full-price ticket includes the visitor booklet. Payment: see the museum’s website.
Accessibility
The museum hasn’t published any information on this.
Kids & families
Great for kids & families
| Kids’ admission | free up to age 5 |
|---|---|
| Family ticket | €30 · Package for 2 adults and 2 children. |
- Family tours & workshops
- Hands-on stations
Children’s workshops during the spring holidays (zone B), the summer holidays and All Saints’ week: a candle from modelling wax from age 3, “Little craftspeople” from age 8, storytelling for ages 2 to 5, giant Cluedo from age 7 and a Halloween activity. Workshops are by registration.
Getting there & parking
By public transit
Place de la Roseraie
Coach from Angers SNCF station: regular line 422 Angers – Chalonnes-sur-Loire – Montigné, “Place de la Roseraie” stop (information at aleop.paysdelaloire.fr).
Amenities & dining
The museum hasn’t published any information on this.
Events & venue rental
The museum hasn’t published any information on this.
Plan your visit
| Guided tours | yes · approx. 1.5 hrs |
|---|---|
| School programs | yes |
| Good to know | Guided tour of the museum (1 hour 30 minutes) on request all year, and in July and August on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Fridays at 15:30 (duration 1 hour). Historical and gourmet walk with a meal at a restaurant, by reservation. Groups of adults, companies, children and retirement homes by reservation. |
