Musée Yves-Machelon
Municipal museum of Gannat in a former fortress that later became a prison: a Carolingian gospel book, a fossil rhinoceros and 19th-century life.
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About the museum
The museum occupies the former castle of Gannat, a lowland fortress with four corner towers surrounded by wide moats. From the end of the 16th century the site already served as a prison. In the mid-19th century the castle's ruins were replaced by a two-storey detention building, which keeps the enclosure wall and the four medieval towers.
The prison closed permanently on August 31, 1967. The commune bought the buildings on June 24, 1968: they were first used as a warehouse for school supplies, then became the Musée des Portes Occitanes. It was renamed the Musée Yves Machelon in 1998, after the mayor who had acquired the site.
The route presents the Carolingian gospel book of Gannat, dating from the last quarter of the 9th century and listed as a historic monument, with its gilt silver binding decorated with enamels, stones and an ivory plaque. It also displays the almost complete skeleton of a diacerathere, a hornless rhinoceros 23 million years old, discovered in 1993 on the Mont Libre hill. Other rooms recall the Resistance in Gannat, rural life in the 19th century, a reconstructed Bourbonnais kitchen, a bourgeois drawing room, and the saddlery and horse-drawn carriages of the Château de Veauce.
Highlights
- Carolingian gospel book of Gannat (9th century)
- Skeleton of a 23-million-year-old rhinoceros
- Fortress and former 19th-century prison
- Rooms on the Resistance in Gannat
- Bourbonnais kitchen and 19th-century trades
- Saddlery and horse-drawn carriages of the Château de Veauce
Permanent exhibitions
- Évangéliaire carolingien de Gannat – 9th-century manuscript listed as a historic monument, with a gilt silver binding decorated with enamels and an ivory plaque.
- Rhinocéros de 23 millions d'années – Almost complete skeleton of a diacerathere, discovered in 1993 in a quarry on Mont Libre.
- La vie au XIXe siècle et la Résistance – Rural trades, Bourbonnais kitchen, bourgeois drawing room, the Veauce saddlery and documents on the Resistance in Gannat.
- Operated by
- Ville de Gannat
Admission & discounts
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Accessibility
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Kids & families
Great for kids & families
- Family tours & workshops
Storytelling sessions (racontines) for babies aged 0 to 3, artistic and educational workshops for children aged 4 to 12 during the spring, summer and All Saints' holidays (by reservation), treasure hunt or detective mystery for families during the holidays, and the escape game “Cellule 42”.
Getting there & parking
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Amenities & dining
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Events & venue rental
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Plan your visit
| Guided tours | yes |
|---|---|
| School programs | yes |
| Good to know | Visits linked to school curricula from nursery to upper secondary school, with possible workshops (calligraphy, cave art). Teachers can request tailor-made activities. The museum takes part in the Museum Night, the European Heritage Days and the Fête de la Nature. |
