Louviers Museum
About Louviers Museum
The Musée de Louviers is a purpose-built museum inaugurated in 1888, housed in an elegant eclectic-style building designed by architect Georges-Paul Roussel featuring a distinctive orientalizing dome. The museum holds the prestigious "Musée de France" label and contains approximately 38,000 objects across four main galleries: a Textile Industry Gallery showcasing Louviers' rich cloth-making heritage with historic looms and machinery, a Fine Arts Gallery with paintings from the 17th to 21st century including works by Carolus-Duran and the Rouen School, a Decorative Arts Gallery featuring exceptional French faïence and Norman furniture, and a rotating exhibition space. The museum exists thanks to the generosity of the Lanon brothers, wealthy local benefactors who donated both the collection and funds for construction in the late 19th century. Admission is completely free for all visitors. The museum is open Tuesday through Saturday from 14:00 to 18:00, with special free guided tours offered on the first Sunday of each month at 15:00.
Interesting Facts
The museum's collection is actually the life's work of two brothers with a tragic story. Edmond Lanon, a cloth merchant and talented draughtsman, spent decades assembling approximately 600 pieces of faïence, paintings, and decorative arts. When he died in 1871, his younger brother Édouard inherited everything. Édouard himself died just 10 years later at age 33, bequeathing both the collection and 175,000 francs to build the museum - ensuring his brother's passion would live on forever.
Unlike most regional French museums that were established in repurposed mansions, churches, or government buildings, the Musée de Louviers was specifically designed and constructed as a museum from the ground up. Architect Georges-Paul Roussel created the building with intentional museographic spatial distribution, making it one of the few purpose-built museums in Normandy from the 19th century.
The museum's prehistoric collection is displayed in partnership with the Muséum national d'Histoire naturelle (National Museum of Natural History) in Paris, giving this small regional museum a direct connection to one of France's most prestigious scientific institutions.
Planning Your Visit
Opening Hours
Location & Practical Info
Address
Place Ernest Thorel, 27400 Louviers, France