Strasbourg. The closure until 2027 of the Alsatian museum should make it possible to restore the museum roofs, a delicate task according to Marie Pottecher. The curator and establishment underlines that “The buildings are typical of the old Strasbourg plot: in strips, stretching in depth with interior courses bordered by galleries”. After a first step in 2007-2008 which had seen the upgrading of the museum safety standards, these roofing work of a budget of 2.4 million euros will allow to keep the aesthetics of the museum, two of which are registered as historic monuments. Among the technical constraints are the complexities of an architecture with wooden sides and the fact that the three buildings are taken in the urban building. Other more modest works are planned but the final budget has not yet been communicated. During the closure, the museum will also reshape its course from the collections, consistent with the scientific and cultural project developed in 2023. If the route has not been changed for many years, the Alsatian museum remains one of the most popular in Strasbourg with more than 80,000 visitors welcomed in 2024.
The large court of the Alsatian museum.
© Museums of Strasbourg / M. Bertola
Fund of paintings under glass, graphic arts …
Distributed over 1,500 square meters currently, the permanent journey presents the history of Alsace and its inhabitants through collections of regional ethnography. These funds have many local crafts, ceramics, costumes and “Everything related to material culture”, specifies Marie Pottecher. The museum has a collection of pieces related to Judaism in Alsace, and also several funds which attest to religious beliefs, rites and popular practices of the Alsatians. Finally, the paintings under glass and the graphic arts constitute an important part of the collections, as well as the reconstituted interiors: the route thus proposes “An alchemist’s office and the interior of a Jewish oratory”says the curator. The museum also develops a policy of acquiring contemporary works linked to Alsace (thus series of photographs by Charles Fréger), works which will benefit from more visibility in the future course.
The latter has four non -chronological parts which reflect a reflection on Alsatian identity and a critical look at local history. From the different communities and minorities (Jews, Gypsies, Protestants) to wars, including the traditions and successive changes in nationality, the course is intended to be exhaustive. Surveys-collects enrich the collections for the overhaul of the route, “For an evolution to a museum of society”. Note, the promotion of certain social themes, such as gender relationships or the non-hierarchy of beliefs (monotheistic religions and popular spiritualities): discourse is modernized and therefore moves away from an ethnological approach.
