Architecture

Museon Arlaten

Arles

Museon Arlaten is an ethnographic museum in Arles, located at 29, rue de la République in the former Laval-Castellane mansion. Its collections represent the arts, ethnology, and history of the Arles region. Founded by Frédéric Mistral in 1896, it first opened as a museum in 1899 with collections given to the department of Bouches-du-Rhône. Managed by the Comité du Museon Arlaten, chaired by Mistral, it was installed in 1904 in the hôtel de Laval-Castellane, the former collège d'Arles. The buildings were classified as historical monuments several times between 1905 and 1944. A new Museon Arlaten was inaugurated in 1909 by Jean Granaud. After Mistral’s death in 1914, the museum remained under the Comité du Museon Arlaten. It later became a departmental museum in 1999 and underwent renovation from 2006, including new exhibition and conservation spaces and a complete museographic reorganization.

Map showing the location of Museon Arlaten in Arles
Location of Museon Arlaten in Arles

Nearby Objects

Le Museon Arlaten in Arles

Le Museon Arlaten is a museum in Arles, located at 29, rue de la Republique. It is housed in the former Laval-Castellane mansion, giving the institution a historic setting within the city. The museum contains collections representing the arts, ethnology, and history of the Arles region. Its role as a regional museum makes it a place for preserving and presenting local cultural heritage through multiple types of collections.

Museum History and Institutional Development

Museon Arlaten was founded by Fr d ric Mistral in 1896. Its first museum opened in 1899 with collections given to the department of Bouches-du-Rh ne, and it was managed by the Comit du Museon Arlaten, chaired by Mistral. In 1904, Mistral installed it in the hotel de Laval-Castellane, the former college of Arles, and in 1909 Jean Granaud inaugurated the new Museon Arlaten. The buildings were classified as historical monuments multiple times between 1905 and 1944, reflecting their recognized heritage value. After Mistral's death in 1914, the museum continued under the Comit du Museon Arlaten, and in the 1930s Fernand Benoit became conservator. In 1999, it became a departmental museum transferred to the department of Bouches-du-Rh ne.

Renovation and Reopening of Histoire

Renovation of Histoire began in 2006, financed by the conseil departemental des Bouches-du-Rhone with 22.5 million euros. The work included the incorporation of the chapelle des Jesuites and part of the Atelier des Roues as exhibition and conservation spaces. Histoire's CERCO center became functional in 2011 within the former SNCF workshops. The museum then underwent a complete restoration and museographic reorganization into five permanent exhibition sequences, along with a sixth section for temporary exhibitions developed in collaboration with Pascal Prunet and Christian Lacroix.

During the renovation period, the program Hors les murs helped animate Histoire's collections through various events. From 2004, the museum also experimented with a new multimedia audio-guide with aggregated images, using examples such as the Venus d'Arles and the Beaucaire fair engraving to illustrate its themes. After eleven years closed and despite the health crisis, Histoire eventually reopened its doors on an unspecified date.