Muséum Emmanuel Liais
Natural history and archaeology museum in Cherbourg, housed in Emmanuel Liais's former home in the middle of a park; closed for safety reasons.
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About the museum
The first museum in Cherbourg opened in 1832 in a room of the town hall. It brought together the collections of a local collector, gifts from Thomas Henry and objects from the Société académique. At the beginning of the 20th century, the collections were moved to two rooms under the roof of the town hall.
In 1900, Emmanuel Liais, an astronomer, explorer and former mayor of Cherbourg, bequeathed his house and botanical park to the town. The collections were then installed there. The building retains the atmosphere of a 19th-century museum, within a park classified as a “Jardin remarquable”.
The ground floor displays natural objects: minerals, fossils, local and exotic flora and fauna. The upper floor shows man-made objects: archaeological finds from 150 years of excavations in the Cotentin, Egyptian antiquities, and art and objects from Asia, Africa and Oceania. Notable pieces include an Egyptian sarcophagus with a mummy studied by Champollion, a Greek krater from Melos, an Egyptian stele from the 12th Dynasty, Gallo-Roman objects from the Mielles of Tourlaville and an Inuit kayak.
The museum is currently closed for safety reasons. Renovation work on the building is to be part of a museographic and architectural project. The park and its greenhouses remain accessible.
Highlights
- 19th-century house in the heart of the Emmanuel Liais park, classified as a “Jardin remarquable”
- Egyptian sarcophagus with a mummy studied by Champollion
- Greek krater from Melos and Egyptian stele from the 12th Dynasty
- Gallo-Roman objects from the Mielles of Tourlaville
- Collections of minerals, fossils, flora and fauna
- Inuit kayak
- Founded
- 1832
- Operated by
- Ville de Cherbourg-en-Cotentin
- Visitors per year
- approx. 22,567
Admission & discounts
The museum hasn’t published any information on this.
Accessibility
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Kids & families
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Getting there & parking
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Amenities & dining
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Events & venue rental
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Plan your visit
| Good to know | Dogs are not admitted to the park. Visitor services, press and group visits: +33 2 33 23 39 30; education service: +33 2 33 23 39 54. |
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