Museums in Sarreguemines
In the heart of the faience town!In Sarreguemines, two sites retrace the history of faience: the Moulin de la Blies site, which houses the museum of faience techniques and the garden of "Faïenciers" & the faience museum. These are two not-to-be-missed places to discover the town's faience-making history!
Museum & Garden
The Museum of Faience Techniques
The former MILL now a MUSEUMIn 1825, the Sarreguemines faience factory acquired the Moulin de la Blies in order to transform it into a stone grinding mill, a production unit complementary to the main factory in the town centre. For almost 140 years, earthenware, stoneware and porcelain bodies were manufactured here and then transported by boat to the town centre. In 1998, the museum of faience techniques opened its doors!
This "museum of atmosphere" will give you the impression that the workers have just left their posts: on the tables, plates ready to be cooked or decorated; on the floor, trolleys of raw materials... You'll never look at your plates in the same way again!
Find out all about the manufacturing process of Sarreguemines' famous faience.
The garden of "Faïenciers"
In the HEART of a brownfield siteIn 2009, the Moulin de la Blies site was the setting for the garden of "Faïenciers". Landscape designer Philippe Niez set himself a challenge: to give a second life to the faience industry heritage on the banks of the Blies, while preserving the ruins as evidence of the site's activities. And the gamble paid off!
As the seasons change, so do the colours and plants in the garden... Spring is a sumptuous time when all the hidden beauties are revealed. In summer, one of the garden's most enchanting spots is undoubtedly on the banks of the little stream that flows over the rocks through the ferns, water irises and giant horsetails. What's more, in autumn you'll be surprised by the gingerbread smell of the caramel trees! And when winter arrives, nature goes to sleep, but this is only an essential stage in its rebirth...
The Faience Museum
The former appartments of PAUL DE GEIGERFrom the street, the building housing the museum may look ordinary, but there's more to it than meets the eye... Upstairs is a veritable treasure trove, listed as a historic monument: the Winter Garden. Its design is masterly: the ceiling rises to a height of around ten metres above the ground, two monumental walls entirely covered in faience tiles face each other, and two large coloured skylights let in a flood of sunlight. There is no doubt that if you had been a distinguished guest in 1882, Paul de Geiger, the emblematic director of the faience industry of Sarreguemines, would have welcomed you here.
Today, this beautiful house has been transformed into a museum that can be visited all year round. Young and old alike can discover some of the finest examples of Sarreguemines faience production from the 19th and 20th centuries. One thing's for sure, you'll see plenty!
And don't forget to round off your visit with a little diversions to the faience kiln! This enormous 11-metre-high brick dome, located outside the museum and the ultimate witness to the first industrial revolution, still has many secrets to reveal!
The entrance ticket for the Sarreguemines Museums is a combined ticket that gives you access to the Moulin de la Blies site (Museum & Garden) and the Faience Museum! Tickets cost €6, €5 for reduced rates (groups of 10 or more, unemployed persons, disabled persons) and are free for under-18s and students up to the age of 26, as well as for everyone on the 1st Sunday of every month.
