What is a museum in France?
Distributed in all regions, the museums with the name «musée de France» benefit in priority from State aid. The «museums of France» have several missions and must meet certain criteria. The Ministry’s services exercise scientific and technical control over the management of collections by museums. They advise them in their architectural and museographic projects within the framework of the Heritage Code which gives meaning to the appellation «Musée de France».
What is the name «Musée de France»?
This name reflects the recognition of the institution by the Ministry of Culture. It signals to visitors the interest of the museum and its collections. This concerns just over 1,200 institutions in France, each of which offers a building, publicly accessible collections, a team of professionals and a guarantee of quality. In all regions, from large cities to urban areas, from overseas to international, these institutions are distributed throughout the national territory.
A collection unique in the world
The museums of France present a set of collections unique in the world. By their extreme variety, these collections can interest all audiences. This variety is as much chronological (from the first artistic gestures of the dawn of humanity to the prototype of Concord, via the Mona Lisa) as geographical (from ancient Egypt to pre-Columbian America via the Far East, India, the Pacific or Alaska).
The collections bear witness to national history (Storming of the Bastille, Coronation of Napoleon, Resistance, etc.) or international history (American Revolutionary War, explorations, etc.), as well as to everyday life (school, medicine, religion, clothing, environment, etc.), as well as many trades (crafts, boating, agriculture, mining, industry, etc.). Not to mention musicians, writers, fashion designers, political figures or inventors, some very famous (Louis Braille, inventor of a writing system for the blind…), others unknown while their inventions have changed our lives (Barthélémy Thimonnier, inventor of the sewing machine…). Products of nature (minerals, etc.) as well as of human activity, the most precious objects (goldsmithery) coexist with others, very simple, or sometimes with an unexpected technique (feather objects, etc.).
Why a museum law?
This diversity finds its coherence through the law of January 4, 2002, which establishes the first legal definition of the museum by specifying its role and its position vis-à-vis the expectations of society. It not only decrees the heritage role of museums (to preserve, study, enrich collections) but also affirms their missions of education and dissemination of knowledge. It harmonizes the status of museums recognized by the State, whether under public or private law. It improves the protection of the collections, affirming their inalienable character, in compliance with the principle of public domain. It reserves the control of the State only to museums that have requested and obtained the name «Musée de France» and highlights the advisory mission that falls to the services of the State.
Did you know—did you?
5% of museums in France are state-owned, 13% are private non-profit-making and about 82% are local authorities.
The collection at the heart of the museum
A «musée de France», within the meaning of the law of 4 January 2002, integrated into the Heritage Code, is above all a “a permanent collection of assets whose preservation and presentation are of public interest and organized for the benefit of public knowledge, education and enjoyment”.
Four permanent missions
The “museums of France” have four major permanent missions:
- conserve, restore, study and enrich their collections;
- make them accessible to the wider public;
- Design and implement education and dissemination actions to ensure equal access to culture for all;
- contribute to the advancement of knowledge and research.
Four requirement criteria
To be accredited, a museum must meet four criteria:
- be led by scientific staff from the territorial or national cultural sector (curator or curator);
- have an educational service in its own right or in a network with other museums;
- maintain an inventory of its collections;
- write a scientific and cultural project (PSC) that sets its main orientations.
The list of 1,222 museums in France (25/10/2023)
The official list of institutions with the name "Musée de France" is updated at least once a year, based on the opinions of the High Council of Museums of France, on the attribution, change or withdrawal of the name "Musée de France".
Correction of shells on 19/01/2022
- Addition of an «s» to Pêcherie for the M0715; Normandy; Seine-Maritime; Fécamp; Les Pêcheries, musée de Fécamp
- Correction of the city: Rochechouart and not Limoges for the M0506; Nouvelle-Aquitaine; Haute-Vienne; Rochechouart; departmental museum of contemporary art
Correction of shells on 25/01/2022
- Correction of the name "musée d'art moderne et contemporain de Saint-Etienne Métropole" and not "musée d'art moderne et contemporain de Saint-Etienne Métropole musée d'art moderne" for the M1024
- Deletion of the duplicate for M0304 "museum of hosiery" and conservation of the name "historical museum of Troyes and Champagne"
- Correction of "Dole" and not "Dôle" for M0347
Correction of identifiers on 27/01/2022
- Correction of the identifier M0198-1 in M0198 for the ecomuseum of the Monts d'Arrée in Commana
- Correction of M1042 in M1156 for the archaeological museum of Saint-Romain-en-Gal
- Assignment of M1209 to the Mayotte Museum (instead of M1212)
- Attribution of the M1212 identifier to the Champollion de Vif museum (instead of the M1209 identifier)
Correction of shells on 07/03/2022
- M0136: Chatillon-sur-Seine = > Châtillon-sur-Seine
- M0158: Saint-Amand-en-Puysance = > Saint-Amand-en-Puisaye
- M0188: Saint-Sauveur-en-Puysance => Saint-Sauveur-en-Puisaye
- M0281: Chatillon-Coligny = > Châtillon-Coligny
Identifier adjustment on 08/03/2022
Creation of M1216: Grand Est; Aube; Troyes; hosiery museum
Changes on 21/09/2022
Removed M0865 : withdrawal of the name of the Vieux Queyras museum in Aiguilles (order of 11 April 2022)
Change of name by decree of 15 April 2022 :
- M0873 : Cannes, the words: «Musée de la mer» are replaced by the words: «Le musée du Masque de fer et du Fort Royal»
- M0872 : Cannes, the words: «Musée de la Castre» are replaced by the words: «Le musée des explorations du monde (MEM)»
- M0972 : Saint-Cyr-sur-Menthon, the words “Musée de la Bresse – domaine des Planons” are replaced by the words “Domaine des Saveurs – Les Planons”
- M7003 : Paris (5th), the words: «Galerie d'anatomie comparée et de paléontologie (muséum national d'histoire naturelle)» are replaced by the words: «Muséum national d'histoire naturelle»
- Confirmation for M0715 : Fécamp, the words: «Les Pêcherie, musée de Fécamp» are replaced by the words: «Les Pêcheries, musée de Fécamp»
- M0723 : Notre-Dame-de-Bobliquetuit, the words: «Ecomusée de la basse Seine» are replaced by the words: «Ethnothèque, Musée des Boucles de la Seine Normande»
Change of name by decree of 23 August 2021 :
- M0857 : Digne-les-Bains, the words: «Musée départemental Gassendi» are replaced by the words: «Musée Gassendi»
Withdrawal of the name «musée de France» from the following museums belonging to the Muséum national d'histoire naturelle by decree of 5 May 2022 :
– Deletion of M7006: large evolution gallery;
– M7004 removal: mineralogy and geology gallery;
– Deletion of M7005: entomology gallery;
– Removed M7009: Botany Gallery;
– Removed M7008: Museum of Man.
Correction of a shell : reintroduction of the M0305, Troyes, Pharmacie musée de l'Hôtel-Dieu
Changes on 10/18/2022
On the whole list: addition of the closing date of attribution of the appellation «Musée de France».
Change of name by decree of 8 September 2022 :
- M0311 : Reims, the words: «musée des beaux-arts de Saint-Denis» are replaced by the words: «musée des beaux-arts de Reims»
- M0314 : Reims, the words “musée du vieux Reims” are replaced by “musée-hôtel Le Vergeur – maison Hugues Krafft”
- M0397 : Saint-Germain-en-Laye: the words “municipal museum” are replaced by the words “musée municipal Ducastel-Vera de Saint-Germain-en-Laye”
- M0407 : Boulogne-Billancourt, the words: «Albert-Kahn, musée et jardin départementaux» are replaced by the words: «musée départemental Albert-Kahn»
- M0509 : Jarville-la-Malgrange, the words: «iron history museum» are replaced by the words: «Science lover»
- M0578 : Figeac, the words “Champollion Museum” are replaced by the words “Champollion Museum – Scriptures of the World”
- M0622 : Dunkirk, the words: «port museum» are replaced by the words: «maritime and port museum»
- M0702 : Conches-en-Ouche, the words: «municipal museum» are replaced by the words «musée du verre François Décorchemont»
- M0945 : Apt, the words “municipal museum of archaeology” are replaced by the words “museum of apt”
- M1057 : Thonon-les-Bains, the words: «musée du Chablais» are replaced by the words: «musée de Thonon-les-Bains»
- M7059 : Saint-Pierre-de-la-Martinique, the words: «vulcanological museum» are replaced by the words: «Franck A. Perret museum - 1902 disaster memorial»
Changes on 16/11/2022
Change of name by decree of 13 October 2022:
- M7059 : Saint-Pierre-de-la-Martinique, the words: «musée Franck A. Perret - mémorial de la catastrophe de 1902» are replaced by the words: «musée Frank A. Perret - mémorial de la catastrophe de 1902»
- M0931 : Bormes-les-Mimosas, the words: «museum of arts and history» are replaced by the words: «MHAB, museum of history and art of Bormes».
Amendments on 25/04/2023
Attribution of the name «Musée de France» to 6 establishments :
- M1217: Gonesse, museum of history and society (order of 16/02/2023)
- M1218: Malesherbes, atelier-musée de l'imprimerie, Le Malesherbois (order of 26/12/2022)
- M1219: Saint-Cloud, musée du Grand Siècle (order of 20/12/2022)
- M1220: Fromelles, museum of the Battle of Fromelles (order of 16/02/2023)
- M1221: Vicq-sur-Breuilh, musée & jardins Cécile Sabourdy (order of 05/01/2023)
- M1222: Bègles, musée de la Création Franche (order of 05/01/2023)
Shell correction
- M1176: Bram, municipal museum "Eburomagus, archaeological museum" and not "municicpal"
Amendment on 25/10/2023
Change of name by decree of 10 February 2023 :
- M0268: Tours, the words: «musée archéologique de l'hôtel Goüin» are replaced by the words: «collections du musée de la société archéologique de Touraine»
- M0927: Saintes-Maries-de-la-Mer, the words: «musée Baroncelli» are replaced by the words: «musée des Saintes-Maries-de-la-Mer»
Typo Correction:
- M0053: “Montignac-sur-Vézère” and not “Montignac-sur-Vezère”
- M0206: «Pont-L'Abbé» and not Pont-l'Abbée
- M0233: «musée Emile Chénon» and not «musée Emile Chenon»
- M0399: «Saint-Rémy-lès-Chevreuse» and not «Saint-Rémy-les-Chevreuses»
- M0420: “Montreuil” and not “Montreuil-sous-bois”
- M0429: "Saint-Maur-des-Fossés" and not "Saint Maur des Fossés"
- M0491: “Hyacinthe Rigaud Museum” not “Hyacinhe Rigaud Museum”
- M0553: “Source Rooms” not “Source Rooms”
- M0663: “Le Molay-Littry” not “Le-Molay-Littry”
- M0664: “Le Molay-Littry” not “Le-Molay-Littry”
- M0711: “museum” not “mausoleum”
- M0790: “municipal archaeological museum” not “municipal archaeological museum”
- M0864: “Reillanne” not “Reillane”
- M0909: «Les Baux-de-Provence» and not Les-Baux-de-Provence
- M0910: «Les Baux-de-Provence» and not Les-Baux-de-Provence
- M1170: «musée Paul Belmondo et de la sculpture figurative du XXe siècle musée Paul Belmondo» and not musée Paul Belmondo et de la scuplture figurative du XXe siècle
- M7063 "Villers-sur-Mer" and not "Villers-sur-mer"
- M0363, M0364, M0366, M0369, M1076, M1116, M5003, M5004, M5005, M5007, M5021, M5025, M5026, M5030, M5031, M5039, M5040, M5041, M5043, M5044, M5050, M5057, M5059, M5060, M5065, M5066, M5073, M7003 : suppression de la précision de l’arrondissement dans le nom de ville « Paris ».
Consult and/ or use the list
The official list is available below in three formats: simplified consultation, geographically sorted spreadsheet and open and reusable dataset.
Simplified consultation
Download in pdf format:
Geographically sorted spreadsheet
Download the spreadsheet (Use Free Office Calc; choose the semicolon separator when opening the file)
Open and reusable data set on departmental platform
Consult the reusable dataset on data.culture.gouv.fr
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