Musée du Pays de Retz

In Villeneuve-en-Retz, and more particularly in the Bourgneuf-en-Retz area, the emblematic salt town of the former "Baye de Bretagne", the Musée du Pays de Retz is a must-see! After the screening of a film presenting the area and the life cycle of a local salt marsh, you'll discover 1300m2 of spaces dedicated to different themes: archaeology, mineralogy, history, old maps and coats of arms, a gallery of historical figures, costumes and headdresses, trades of yesteryear, agricultural and wine-making activities, fresh and salt water, traditional rural housing, an inn and a 1900 school, and the archaeological reconstruction of a Gallic salt oven. You'll be immersed in local history in an educational and entertaining way: handling clay objects and wooden tools? writing with old-fashioned pens on old school desks? riding a draisienne (the forerunner of the bicycle) from the early 19th century? trying on replicas of helmets, hats and weapons linked to famous figures who have left their mark on the region's memory? Numerous events are organized throughout the season: temporary exhibitions ? lectures ? large-format wooden games from yesteryear ? discovery and puzzle games ? discovery of solar and nocturnal astronomy ? initiations to traditional activities (rope-making, basket-making, spinning, making and maintaining headdresses and lace...) ? reconstructions of a 15th-century knight's camp (tent and furnishings, sword-fighting and crossbow-firing initiations for adults and children, coin-beating, presentation of giant "Irish wolfhound" wolf and bear hunters...). ?? The little extras at Musée du Pays de Retz : possibility of guided tours with full mediation lasting around 1h45 for school groups, Ehpad, hospital care centers, leisure centers, private individuals (on reservation: minimum 15 people. Conditions and rates: consult the museum) for self-guided tours, a guided tour of around 15 minutes is provided (presentation of the museum, history and particularities of the area...) photos are permitted and highly recommended when you're wearing beautiful helmets, elegant hats and impressive swords and sabres... children can visit the Museum dressed as Vikings and knights (with clothing, helmets, swords and shields). ? The Musée du Pays de Retz is one of many sites in Villeneuve-en-Retz presented by the Destination Pornic Tourist Office. The little extra : This site can be discovered by following the historic urban itinerary of Bourgneuf-en-Retz. Did you know? This museum is housed in a former outbuilding of the Cordeliers convent. The latter, run by Franciscan monks, was built in the early 14th century (approved by the Pope in 1332), on the initiative of the lords Girard de Machecoul and Aliénor de Thouars, his wife. It was in this convent that they were later buried. As founders of the convent, the Sires de Retz had the right of abode. In the 15th century, when Gilles de Rais moved to Bourgneuf, he stayed in the convent's apartments. It is attested that, while spending a night there, he martyred a young boy of around fifteen! The building that survives today dates from the 18th century. The old stone porch is dated 1773. This "Saint-Antoine" porch gave access to the former outbuildings of the wealthy and important Saint-François-des-Cordeliers convent. In 1790, the last two Cordeliers left, their property having been confiscated. The convent was sold as national property. A certain Louis Gouy bought the building before the commune of Bourgneuf acquired it. In 1851, the building became a nursery school for boys. It was Jean Mounès (1925-1975), a French, history and geography teacher, who took the initiative in transforming the premises into a museum in 1966, which has become the memory of a country. Parallel to his teaching activities, he had pursued university studies, and devoted himself to research into archaeology and folklore at the Bourgneuf-en-Retz museum he ran, as well as the regional geography of the Bay of Bourgneuf and the Marais Breton.