The whole of Franche-Comté in an open-air museum!
A unique place, open to everyone, perfect for a fun outing with family or friends!
At the foot of the Jura Mountains, enjoy a unique visitor experience through an immersive tour featuring 35 authentic Comtois buildings.
Discover 35 unique buildings
All of these buildings, dating from the 17th to the 19th centuries, have been dismantled, transported, and faithfully reconstructed since 1984 in the heart of a 16-hectare preserved natural area. Discover how the inhabitants of the Haut-Doubs, Haut-Jura, Vosges Saônoises, Bresse Jurassienne, Jura Plateau, and Sundgau used local materials to protect people, animals, and crops from the elements.
A Musée de France
A Musée de France, the museum’s collections also include more than 22,000 objects that illustrate the evolution of daily life from 1660 to 1950 through the recreated home interiors on display.
Enjoy a unique experience
The Musée des Maisons Comtoises is one of France’s five open-air museums. Like model homes, these houses are fully furnished from basement to attic. During your visit, immerse yourself in the daily lives of the region’s residents from 1750 to 1950!
A museum looking toward the future
What if the rural world of the past could help us reflect on future societal challenges? Our relationship with animals, the alarming decline in bee populations, the crisis in the agricultural sector, and our renewed interest in growing our own vegetables, making our own cosmetics, or baking our own bread? These questions inspire the museum’s team every day, and they share them with you through daily activities and temporary exhibitions.
The Museum's Origins
The museum is the brainchild of a priest, Jean Garneret (1907–2002), who was at once a parish priest, curator, ethnologist, and artist. This site is the culmination of a lifetime of research, observation, collecting, and investigation.
Supported by Georges-Henri Rivière and his association, Folklore comtois, the plan for a regional museum-park was drafted in 1980 by Father Garneret and Pierre Bourgin, his disciple. Bourgin served as the museum’s director until 1997. The association’s proposal stated that the buildings would need to provide geographical coverage of the entire Franche-Comté region.
The chosen location was Nancray: easily accessible and close to Besançon, the site features naturally terraced and rolling terrain. The municipal land is vast: 16 hectares.
The prefect granted authorization in 1983. The museum opened to the public in 1988 with five houses.
