Closed since 2022 for renovations, the Jean de La Fontaine Museum in Château-Thierry is preparing to begin the final project of its construction site, focused on museography. The museum should reopen at the end of 2025. In 1876, thanks to the support of the Historical and Archaeological Society of Château-Thierry, the municipality acquired the birthplace of the poet Jean de La Fontaine where he lived until 1676. This museum was initially dedicated to art and history, then the writer.
Although interior changes have taken place over time, the spirit of the private mansion dating from 1559 and classified as a historic monument in 1910 has been preserved. There you can see collections of paintings from the 17th to the 19th century, a collection of graphic arts by artists such as Gustave Doré, Marc Chagall and Jean Cocteau, as well as sculptures, all testifying to Jean’s literary influence. of La Fontaine.
Between 2008 and 2015, restoration work was undertaken with state support, notably concerning the roof, the cut stone facades and the gardens. In 2022, a new work campaign in three phases (exterior, interior and structural) is launched. The first two phases consisted of removing asbestos and lead from the premises, then destroying and reconstructing the building located between the house and the Jean Macé media library (which was its annex) in order to ensure their connection. The new entrance as well as a room dedicated to workshops and a shop will be located in this “in-between” building, an alliance of metal and glass, elevators will also be added.
The old building, which served as an entrance, will now be dedicated to conservation, which will free up space in Jean de La Fontaine’s house. The top floor, previously inaccessible, will be open to the public. It has also been meticulously restored: certain partitions which did not date from the fabulist’s time have been destroyed and the false ceilings removed. The last phase of the project will be devoted to museography, the recovery of works deposited during work at the Musée du Trésor at the Hôtel-Dieu in Château-Thierry, as well as the layout of the various spaces.
The complete renovation operation of the museum was estimated at 6 million euros, mobilizing for its financing the town of Château-Thierry, the State, the Hauts-de-France region and the Aisne departmental council, as well as donations. of private companies.
Thanks to this renovation, the museum hopes to increase its attendance, which until then was 12,000 visitors per year. For this, the opening onto the surrounding buildings and the medieval castle, also frequented by tourists, will certainly work in their favor, as will the facilities for people with reduced mobility and the creation of educational workshops.
