Musée des Thoniers

About the museum

Étel, a fishing village of sardine fishermen, became a fully independent commune in 1850. At the end of the 19th century, sardine crises made albacore fishing, or white tuna, the main activity. In the 1930s the port had around 250 sailing tuna boats and about ten canneries. After the war, motor boats revived the activity; the fleet gradually moved to Lorient around 1960, and recreational boating replaced fishing around the end of the 1980s.

The association Autrefois Étel was founded in 1987 to collect archives, photographs and objects linked to the local maritime past. In 1990 it opened the Maison du Patrimoine in the former maritime cooperative. When the building was brought up to standard in 2001, it took the name Musée des Thoniers, officially inaugurated on December 15, 2001.

Since 2002 the museum has expanded and improved every season, with new rooms, better visitor comfort and events. The route is organised around sardines, tuna and sailing, trawlers, sea rescue and local heritage, complemented by temporary exhibitions by artists.

Highlights

• Models of dundees and trawlers from Étel
• Exhibition on the storm of 1930
• Reconstruction of a sailor’s cabin on board a trawler
• Room devoted to sea rescue (SNSM, CROSS Étel)
• Screening room for documentaries on local heritage

Permanent exhibitions

• La sardine avant le thon – Explanatory panels and models on the sardine industry in 20th-century Brittany and on fishing techniques.
• Le thon et la voile – Dundee models illustrating tuna fishing in Étel, and an exhibition on the devastating storm of 1930.
• Étel, grand port chalutier – History of deep-sea fishing in Étel in the 20th century, with trawl models and a reconstructed sailor’s cabin.

Founded

2001

Operated by

Association Autrefois Étel & sa région

Admission & discounts

Accessibility

• Wheelchair accessible: no information
• Elevator: no information
• Accessible restroom
• 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

According to the Morbihan tourism portal: adapted outdoor and indoor routes, adapted parking and adapted toilets.

Kids & families

Great for kids & families

• Family tours & workshops

Activities, workshops and games for the whole family; activities adapted for school classes. Family rate and special rates for ages 8 to 17.

Getting there & parking

The museum is near the harbour; red “musée” signs show the way. By car from Rennes, Vannes or Lorient: A82/RN165, exit Carnac-Quiberon, direction Belz–Étel. On foot or by bike, paths and a greenway (Voie verte) start from Belz, Erdeven and Plouhinec.

Amenities & dining

• Museum shop

Shop with books on the sea and local history, postcards and souvenirs.

Events & venue rental

The museum hasn’t published any information on this.

Plan your visit