The Departmental Museum of Wonders

Journey to our ancestors

What if we rediscovered prehistory? For many of us, history lessons are a distant memory! To go back in time and follow in the footsteps of Neolithic man, stop off at the Musée Départemental des Merveilles. And if you’ve got kids in tow, all the more reason to do so: they’ll be enthralled by the playful displays and fascinating animations that reveal the lives of our ancestors. A museum like no other, for ages 7 to 77.

Recommended experience

par Carole

Highlights 01

A leap back in time through the galleries

Amazing collections

First pleasant surprise: the museum is free! On arrival, we’re immediately immersed in the setting, with this larger-than-life character welcoming us. Next, the permanent exhibition is divided into three sections: natural history, archaeology, and popular arts and traditions. In all, 400 million years of Vallée des Merveilles history are recounted. Vertiginous!

I’m reassured that the installations are very educational and accessible to children. Sam and Léa run everywhere: here a video animation, there a 3D flight over Mont Bégo… Everything is very interactive. We learn about the daily lives of our hunter-gatherer ancestors who lived on this mountain territory, and admire the casts of the rock engravings we’ll be seeing “in real life” later on… In short, we feel as if we’re actually there!

Inventaire du patrimoine culturel - Site du mont Bego

Highlight 02

Meet Ötzi, the Iceman

Mister Freeze

The highlight of our visit: the meeting with Ötzi, who made a huge impression on the children! This mummified snowman, found in the Dolomitic Alps in 1991, was reconstructed to perfection. He probably lived 5,300 years ago, at the beginning of the Copper Age. Rather well preserved! Alongside him are objects found at the site of his discovery, reconstructed in the museum’s display cases. Most of them are hunting-related: a flint-bladed dagger, an antler-tipped retouchoir, a bow and arrow…

Highlight 03

In the engraving spaces

A singular sorcerer

In the space devoted to the rock engravings in the Vallée des Merveilles, you can observe the inscriptions directly from casts, to measure every detail. We can’t wait to see them in real life!

We admire the emblematic engravings of the “Sorcerer”, a curious anthropomorphic character who appears everywhere, and that of the “Tribal Chief”, the original taken on site by helicopter. Quite moving when you consider that they were scribbled ages ago…

Along the way, time flies as you enjoy all the games and activities. Children enjoy following “Battistin”, a lifelike wax figure who comes to life to recount the tales and legends of the region. A real good time!

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Highlights 04

Last stop at the boutique

Lovely souvenirs

A short detour to the museum store is all it takes to draw us into this justly wonderful world. Here we discover a vast selection of objects crafted by artisans from natural materials such as leather, wood, bone and wool. These are original productions, created exclusively for the museum. Attractive notebooks, jewelry, ceramics and glass complete the sales counter. Samuel leaves with a coloring and games book inspired by the museum’s themes. After a 2-hour visit, it’s time for us to set off again and make our discoveries on the slopes of Mont Bégo…