Musée du Savignéen

About the museum

The Musée du Savignéen grew out of an association, the Amis du musée du Savignéen, founded on April 6, 1973, to acquire, preserve and display the fossils from the faluns of the Savigné basin as well as objects and tools of local life. This dual purpose explains its mixed character, at once scientific and popular.

It was first housed in 1973 in the guard tower of the Porte de Courcelles, part of the 16th-century fortifications. In early 1974 the town lent the association the rooms of the former gendarmerie, built at the beginning of the 19th century, where the museum still is today. Works in 1987, 1988 and 2000 enlarged the display areas. The museum has been a Musée de France since February 1, 2003.

The collections grew through gifts and purchases; in 2006 the association acquired an important collection of some 5,000 fossils from the faluns of Savigné and Noyant, preventing its dispersal. The route shows the marine and land fauna of Touraine about fifteen million years ago, followed by old trade tools, reconstructed Touraine interiors and an exhibition on the history of life.

Highlights

• Fossils from the faluns: sharks, molluscs, marine and land mammals
• Pecten ligerianus, the shell that is the museum's emblem
• Room of old tools from Savigné trades
• Reconstructed Touraine interiors with traditional headdresses and Langeais faience
• Exhibition on the history of life and prehistory

Permanent exhibitions

• Faluns et fossiles de la Touraine du Miocène – Rooms devoted to the facies of the faluns, marine invertebrates, marine vertebrates, and land mammals and reptiles.
• Métiers et intérieurs d'autrefois – Tools of carpenters, joiners, shoemakers and roofers, and reconstructed Touraine interiors.
• L'histoire de la vie – Exhibition on the third floor, from Precambrian stromatolites to prehistoric animals, with the first tools and weapons.

Founded

1973

Operated by

Association Les Amis du musée du Savignéen

Visitors per year

approx. 2,267

Admission & discounts

The museum hasn’t published any information on this.

Accessibility

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Kids & families

• Activity booklet, scavenger hunt or kids’ audio guide

A questionnaire on the faluns is available for pupils on request when booking.

Getting there & parking

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Amenities & dining

The museum's publications are sold by mail order (order form on the website).

Events & venue rental

The museum hasn’t published any information on this.

Plan your visit