The Castle museum

The castle

It is at the heart of medieval walls that the old count’s castle, built on the remains of Roman walls, invites you to discover its Gallo-Roman underground, the Barbière Hall and the chapel.
Built along the ramparts, the count’s castle is the centerpiece of the medieval defense system. This is the first castle built without tower in the history of military architecture. Today, the water is partially back in the moat and the drawbridge has returned. Inside, the most notable rooms are located in the lower part: chapel, count’s room, underground. Do not miss on the magnificent Gothic Barbière hall, adjoining the old prison.
Since 1987, the Castle is home of the museum that has the originality to present the most diverse general collections in the North of Paris.
Visitors can cross the times and cultures, from ancient Egypt (collections that belonged to the famous native of Boulogne Egyptologist Auguste Mariette), to Greece, Oceania, Africa, local archaeology , medieval Europe and the arts of the late nineteenth century (painting, sculpture).
The visitor will come across the collections of gems: the amphora Suicide of Ajax, studied globally, and an exceptional collection of Sugpiat masks, only witness of the artistic heritage of Alaska in the nineteenth century.

The museum

Created in 1825 after the acquisition of the cabinet of curiosities of Viscount Isidore Leroy Bard, the first natural history painter to King Louis XVIII, the Boulogne sur Mer museum preserves rich and diverse collections.
This diversity is explained by the geographical location of the city. Many travelers have sailed from Boulogne to discover the world and offered their collection to the museum. Scholars from Boulogne such as Ernest Hamy, founder of the Trocadero Museum in Paris, also took to heart to enrich the museum of their hometown.
In 2013, the museum celebrated 25 years of settlement in the Count’s castle of Boulogne sur Mer, a great opportunity to renew the presentation of its permanent collection. To highlight its collections, the museum offers a completely redesigned circuit and a presentation in four major departments.
With this new presentation-oriented approach and a focus on contemporary native cultures, the museum encourages visitors to travel from one culture to the Other!

VISITS AND OPENING HOURS

Weekdays from 10:00 to 12.30 and from 14:00 to 17:30.
Sundays from 10:00 to 12:30 and from 14:30 to 18:00.
The museum is closed on Tuesdays.
Closed between Christmas and New Year, January 1st and May 1st.