Musée du Donjon

Over het museum

The Donjon is the last remaining part of a fortified complex whose history begins in the 12th century. In 1154, Henry Plantagenet became King of England; master of all western France thanks to the dowry of Eleanor of Aquitaine, he decided to build a fortress at Niort to hold the Poitou region and control the port. From 1180, a Romanesque building of dressed stone, with two square towers joined by high curtain walls, replaced the wooden castle.

From the second half of the 13th century, the Donjon also served as a residence and later as lodging for the captains, then the governors of the stronghold. A tower collapsed in 1749, but the building was restored as early as 1751. From the 18th century it served as a prison, notably for English sailors who carved inscriptions into the walls. Listed as a historic monument in 1840, it also at one point housed the departmental archives.

Following the first national congress of ethnology, held in Niort in 1896, the Donjon found its calling as a museum with the first museum of Poitevin costume. Today it is a Musée de France run by the Niort Agglo, offering a permanent exhibition on the history of the monument, ethnographic and archaeological collections and a terrace with a panoramic view.

Hoogtepunten

• Permanent exhibition “1000 ans d’histoire” with a tactile model, dioramas and 3D film
• Reconstruction of a Poitevin interior from the second half of the 19th century
• Room under the roof frame with traditional Poitevin furniture
• Inscriptions carved by English sailors imprisoned in the 18th century
• Crenellated terrace with a 360° panorama and orientation table

Vaste collectie

• 1000 ans d'histoire – Five rooms trace the history of the Donjon from the 12th century, with a tactile model of the town, dioramas and a 3D animation.
• Collections ethnographiques – Traditional Poitevin furniture under the roof frame and reconstruction of a rural interior from the second half of the 19th century.

Beheerder

Niort Agglo

Bezoekers per jaar

ca. 20.687

Toegangsprijzen & kortingen

Gratis toegang: First Sunday of each month

Because of the works at the Donjon, the combined ticket for both museums is offered at the price of a single museum. Free admission on proof for members of the Association des Amis des Musées de Niort, RSA recipients living in the agglomeration, professionals (ICOM, ICOMOS, press card, etc.) and accompanying adults of school groups.

Toegankelijkheid

• Rolstoeltoegankelijk: niet aanwezig
• Lift: geen informatie
• Aangepast toilet: geen informatie
• Gehandicaptenparkeerplaats: geen informatie
• Hulphonden welkom: geen informatie
• Tastmodellen / voelbare objecten
• Rondleidingen in gebarentaal: geen informatie
• Informatie in eenvoudige taal: geen informatie
• Audiodescriptie: geen informatie

The Musée du Donjon is not accessible to people with reduced mobility. A tactile model and tactile lecterns are present in the permanent exhibition.

Kinderen & gezin

Erg geschikt voor kinderen & gezinnen

• Gezinsrondleidingen & workshops
• Speurtocht, doeboekje of kinderaudiotour
• Doe- en voelstations
• Speeltuin / speelhoek
• Kinderfeestjes

Activities for ages 6 to 12 during school holidays (visit, workshop and snack, 2 hours, 12 participants maximum, by reservation). Birthday parties for ages 6 to 12, on Wednesdays or Saturdays, in period costume. Tactile model in the exhibition and a children’s corner in the reception room.

Bereikbaarheid & parkeren

Address: rue du Guesclin, 79000 Niort.

Service & horeca

• Museumwinkel
• Garderobe

Supervised free cloakroom. Relaxation area in the reception room with tourist information and a children’s corner. Shop with medieval costumes for children, books and postcards.

Evenementen & zaalverhuur

Het museum heeft hierover geen informatie gepubliceerd.

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