Museum of Fine Arts and Archaeology, Besançon

The Museum of Fine Arts and Archaeology, in Besançon

The Museum of Fine Arts and Archaeology of Besançon is considered the oldest public museum of France. The Besançon audio-guided tour stops here to evoke this high cultural place and its rich collections, from antiquity to the great masters.

The oldest public museum of France

The Museum of Fine Arts and Archaeology of Besançon claims the title of oldest public museum of France: its collections were opened to the public at the end of the seventeenth century, well before the creation of the Louvre. Located in a building boldly redeveloped by the architect Louis Miquel, a pupil of Le Corbusier, it shelters rich collections of archaeology, retracing the ancient past of the region, and of fine arts, with paintings by great European masters, from the fifteenth to the twentieth century, as well as a remarkable cabinet of drawings. A major cultural place, the Museum of Fine Arts and Archaeology offers an exceptional panorama of art and history in Besançon.

What to see

Here you discover, in a building redeveloped by Louis Miquel, a pupil of Le Corbusier, the rich collections of archaeology retracing the ancient past of the region and of fine arts, with paintings by great European masters from the fifteenth to the twentieth century. The museum is the oldest public museum of France. It is a stop for art lovers, to be explored on foot.

Practical information

The Museum of Fine Arts and Archaeology lies in the heart of Besançon, near Revolution Square, reachable on foot. The visit follows its own hours and conditions, which vary with the season. It is best to check the arrangements before coming.

Why is the Museum of Fine Arts of Besançon remarkable?

It is the oldest public museum of France, opened to the public from the end of the seventeenth century, before the Louvre; it shelters rich collections of archaeology and fine arts, with paintings by great European masters.