Écomusée de l'Ardoise
Ecomuseum of slate in Trélazé, once the capital of slate: exhibition rooms, slate-splitting demonstrations and a three-hectare slate site.
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Over het museum
In Trélazé, near Angers, slate (schiste ardoisier) has been quarried for seven centuries to make roofing slates. The idea of a museum was born in 1973 with a former slate splitter, Marcel Goacolou. The association “Les amis de l'ardoise” was founded on April 19, 1979 by former slate workers, with the support of the town. The museum opened in 1983 in a 16th-century house, formerly the residence of the quarry manager. In 1985 the association acquired the three hectares of the slate site, and an amphitheater was built in 1989 for splitting demonstrations.
The exhibition rooms occupy a former match factory dating from 1864, which the town bought. They were entirely refitted in 2012 with a more interactive route. They present geology, ancient and current extraction techniques, the uses of slate, and tools and machinery. The museum has held the “Musée de France” label since 2003.
The Union – Petit Pré site is a former quarry, protected as a listed site, with waste heaps of slate, open-pit quarries known as vieux-fonds, and a 19th-century drainage mill (moulin d'exhaure). In 2026, the DRAC (the state's regional cultural affairs department) approved the museum's transformation into an ecomuseum focused on the link between the territory, its inhabitants and the transmission of slate-working skills.
Hoogtepunten
- Slate-splitting demonstration by a splitter in an amphitheater
- Exhibition rooms in a former 1864 match factory
- Protected Union – Petit Pré slate site, with its vieux-fonds and drainage mill
- 16th-century house of the quarry manager
- Shop selling slate objects from Trélazé
Vaste collectie
- Salles d'exposition sur l'histoire de l'ardoise – Geology, ancient and current extraction techniques, uses of slate, tools and machinery.
- Démonstration de fente d'ardoise – A splitter recreates the traditional gestures to produce thin slates from a block of schist.
- Site ardoisier de l'Union - Petit Pré – Former three-hectare quarry with waste heaps, open-pit quarries and a drainage mill.
- Opgericht
- 1983
- Beheerder
- Association Les amis de l'ardoise
- Bezoekers per jaar
- ca. 15.500
Toegangsprijzen & kortingen
| Volwassenen | € 5 |
|---|---|
| Met korting | € 4,20Job seekers, students, holders of the Cezam card, visitors with reduced mobility |
| Kinderen & jongeren | € 2,80Child rate for ages 6 to 16 for the self-guided visit (guided visit with demonstration: €5.50). |
| Studenten | € 4,20 |
| Groepen (vanaf 10 pers.) | € 8,50 p.p.Guided visit with slate-splitting demonstration: €8.50 per person for 10 to 30 adults, €7.50 for more than 30 adults. Reservation required from 10 people. |
| Guided visit of the rooms with slate-splitting demonstration, adult | € 8,50Lasts about 2 hours, for 2 people or more. |
| Guided visit with demonstration, reduced rate | € 7 |
| Guided visit with demonstration, child aged 6 to 16 | € 5,50 |
| Boules de fort game (groups, in addition to the visit) | € 2About 1 hour for a group of 30 people. |
Base rate for a self-guided visit of the exhibition rooms (about 1 hour to 1 hour 30 minutes). Guided visit and demonstration from 2 people, for safety reasons. The website lists discounts with the Cezam, Carte Loisirs, Gîtes de France, Carte avantage and City Pass cards. Association members (annual membership of €22) enter free. A combined ticket with the Mine Bleue in Noyant-la-Gravoyère is offered in 2026; information at 02 41 69 04 71. Payment by card, cash, check or holiday vouchers.
Toegankelijkheid
- Rolstoeltoegankelijk
- Lift: geen informatie
- Aangepast toilet: geen informatie
- Gehandicaptenparkeerplaats: geen informatie
- Hulphonden welkom: geen informatie
- Tastmodellen / voelbare objecten: geen informatie
- Rondleidingen in gebarentaal: geen informatie
- Informatie in eenvoudige taal: geen informatie
- Audiodescriptie: geen informatie
The website states that the site is accessible to people with disabilities, and the museum received the Tourisme et Handicap label in 2013.
Kinderen & gezin
Erg geschikt voor kinderen & gezinnen
- Gezinsrondleidingen & workshops
Family activities during school holidays, for example a Cluedo-style investigation in the park and the museum from October 20 to 30, 2026 (by reservation). Workshops for school groups (Petit Fendeur). Child rate from age 6.
Bereikbaarheid & parkeren
Met het openbaar vervoer
Malaquais (ligne 1)
Irigo network buses: line 1 (Malaquais stop) and line 10 (Saint Lezin stop, terminus).
Met de auto
Parkeerplaats aanwezig
Car park with 60 spaces, 3 spaces for coaches and a bicycle parking area.
By car: from Paris, Nantes or Cholet, take exit 19 “Écomusée de l'Ardoise” from the A87 and follow “Pôle Hervé Bazin”, chemin de la Maraîchère, in Trélazé. The museum has the Accueil vélo and Loire à vélo labels.
Route plannenService & horeca
- Museumwinkel
Reception shop with souvenirs of Anjou and handmade slate objects from Trélazé. Shaded picnic area in the park, open to visitors who have paid admission; restaurants in Trélazé are 500 m to 2.4 km away.
Evenementen & zaalverhuur
Het museum heeft hierover geen informatie gepubliceerd.
Je bezoek plannen
| Rondleidingen | ja · duur ca. 2 uur |
|---|---|
| Aanbod voor scholen | ja |
| Goed om te weten | Guided visit of the rooms with slate-splitting demonstration (about 2 hours) or self-guided visit of the rooms (about 1 hour to 1 hour 30 minutes). For groups: boules de fort game and a choice of a visit to the Moulin du Poirier. For school groups: the Petit Fendeur workshop, a discovery workshop, bird-watching and making swallow nests. Hiking on the slate quarries is possible. The museum is listed on ADAGE for the Pass Culture. |
