Ecomusée Maison de Pays en Bresse

A journey from 1465 to the present day

Why not take a trip back in time? As you travel through the ecomuseum, you’ll discover that our forefathers were clever farmers who mastered essential skills and know-how and lived in harmony with their environment.

The five buildings that welcome you have an incredible history. Think they’re part of the landscape?

You’ll discover that they’ve been rebuilt here from scratch since the 1980s, although the wood of which they’re made bears witness to an age dating back to the 15th century. The eco-museum has found a way to preserve a rare and precious heritage.

Curious?

A real return to the time of our ancestors, thanks to this visit made fascinating by the richness of the preserved heritage. Young and old were delighted.

Block title

You’ll experience farm and village life as it was from the 15th to the 18th century… The themed settings plunge you into the world of yesteryear, from the village grocer’s store to the schoolroom. The objects tell you a story, a moment in the daily life of the inhabitants.

Take the time to visit the carronière, one of the last remaining in the region. This large hall, relocated to the site, is home to a typical local skill: the manufacture of carrons, the large ochre bricks measuring around 30 cm by 13 cm that you see everywhere in the walls of old buildings in the region.

Traditions, basketry or ironwork workshops, guided tours by the association’s volunteers and a Bresse-style snack, all add up to a great family afternoon (from April to October)… Afterwards, children can enjoy the barefoot trail.

©Know-how at the Maison de Pays en Bresse Ecomuseum|Jean-Paul Maître

12hectares

dedicated to the ecomuseum

12parts

reconstituted

2hours

Visiting times

8euros

Adult rate (+ 7 years: €3.50)

Paria FestivalA delicious jam

Whether you call it vincuit or paria, this traditional Bresse village festival takes place in October. On the 3rd weekend in October, come to the Pays de Bresse Ecomuseum to watch the preparation and cooking of this jam made from apples and pears, cooked in a cauldron. A moment of conviviality, sharing and autumnal indulgence. Alternatively, you can always buy some at the ecomuseum store.

Barefoot trail

The undergrowth is home to wooden modules, which form a small path to be walked barefoot to explore forgotten sensations. Children (and parents) get a change of pace, enjoy nature and use all their senses. Included with admission. Great for the whole family.

GOOD TO KNOW

Mobile farms

The ecomuseum buildings were dismantled from their original location, then rebuilt piece by piece, panel by panel, in Saint Etienne-du-Bois. Bresse farmhouses are designed in such a way that they can be moved. In the case of inheritance, this was a good way of dividing up assets between heirs, without having to put up with each other! All you had to do was move all or part of the dwelling or its outbuilding.

Ecomusée Maison de Pays en Bresse

100 route de Bourg, lieu dit Montaplan, 01370 Saint-Étienne-du-Bois