When he was president of the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region, Laurent Wauquiez repeatedly cut cultural subsidies. However, the Region was able to release 1.8 million euros to finance the future Green Lentil Museum in Puy-en-Velay (Haute-Loire).
The contents of the museum remain unclear; the press releases emphasize a fun and immersive experience centered on the green lens. A concept adapted to the modest size of the building: 200 m². The museum will be installed in an old building, a commercial premises, at 33 place du Breuil, in the heart of the city. The total budget is estimated at 2.5 million euros. Just announced, the museum should open its doors in fall 2025.
The Lentil Museum will retrace the history of “the green gold of Haute-Loire”. Its culture in Velay dates back to Roman times: a Gallo-Roman vase in which lentils were discovered bears witness to this. The trade in legumes is then attested in Puy-en-Velay in the 17th century. Green lentil was classified AOC in 1996 and AOP in 2008 – a recognition achieved in part thanks to the thesis research of Jean-René Mestre, president of the Puy Green Lentil Museum Association.
Today cultivated on 4,200 hectares, green lentils are an essential element of the region. “According to a survey carried out by the Tourist Office, when we mention Puy-en-Velay, people first think of the lens (70% of them)then to the cathedral and then to the Way of Saint-Jacques. It is therefore important to have a museum”underlines Laurent Wauquiez to explain his decision.
Economic interests are not far away. Sabarot, a local company founded 200 years ago and very present in the pulse market, plans to set up in the premises adjoining the museum, to sell its production there. The company had received 1.1 million euros in aid from the Region for the construction of its new factory, inaugurated in 2023 in Chaspuzac (Haute-Loire).
Le Puy-en-Velay.
