Alpe d’Huez Museum of History and Archaeology

Description

The Alpe d'Huez Museum of History and Archaeology is the only structure in a high-altitude resort to be awarded the "Musée de France" label, and is associated with a major archaeological site. It traces the long history of the village of Huez and its mountain pastures, from the Middle Ages to the present day.

The museum introduces visitors to two new scenographies through the permanent exhibitions "Le spectacle de la montagne" and "Brandes et la ruée vers l'argent des XIIe et XIIIe siècles". There's also a space dedicated to the Second World War, with the exhibition "Eté 1944. Le Maquis de l'Oisans".

3 EXHIBITIONS: "LE SPECTACLE DE LA MONTAGNE", "BRANDES ET LA RUEE VERS L'ARGENT DES XIIE ET XIIIE SIECLES", "ETE 1944. LE MAQUIS DE L'OISANS".

These exhibitions punctuate the course of visitors to the Musée d'huizat:

"The Mountain Show

Presented at the end of 2022, this permanent exhibition tells the story of the transformation of the "Vieil Alpe" mountain chalets into hotels, forming an internationally-renowned high-altitude tourist resort from the 1980s-90s onwards. Featuring 4 chronological "kiosks" (or cubes) richly illustrated with photographs retracing the periods 1923-1939, 1945-1973, 1974-1989, 1990-2022, this immersive exhibition reveals to the curious this rich history, with the role of the pioneers (Moulin, Chaix, Chalvin, Rajon, Pomagalski etc.), the heyday of traditional family hotels from the 1930s to the 1960s, sporting events such as the Tour de France cycling race (which arrived in Alpe d'Huez as early as 1952), new snow-related activities such as snowboarding in the 1980s, summer skiing on Sarenne and ever-increasing events such as the Tomorrowland Winter electronic music festival. The architectural and urban development of the resort is also showcased in the exhibition, with a touch table (historical and 3D models of the resort's districts) and an interactive terminal featuring testimonials from a number of people involved in this urban development. The Alpe's built heritage (hotels, ski lifts, public buildings, Rif Nel, individual chalets, etc.) is presented, as are future projects. Finally, the screening of INA films from the period (leisure activities in the 50s, the role of promoters in the 70s, inauguration of the Pic Blanc bobsleigh run and cable car in the 1960s and 70s, bobsleigh competition in February 1968) will attract the attention of adults and children alike.


"Brandes and the silver rush of the 12th and 13th centuries".

Looking around Alpe d'Huez today, who would believe that in the Middle Ages, a community of men, women and children settled on the Brandes plateau, at the foot of the Saint-Nicolas rock, to extract silver ore from the mountain's subsoil at an altitude of over 1800m? And yet, from the 12th to the 14th century, these inhabitants of the mining village of Brandes (the highest in Europe for this period) lived there year-round, despite the difficult climatic conditions from October to May. This technical history (pre-industrial Western Europe and nascent metallurgy) and human history were revealed by the archaeological digs carried out since 1977 by Marie-Christine Bailly-Maître and her teams of scientists and volunteers. The discoveries made during these excavations (mining techniques, the manufacture of silver dust, Brandes' finished product for the coins of the dauphin - lord of the Dauphiné - religious practices and daily life, the construction of a watchtower called "shell-keep") led to the creation of the Maison du Patrimoine in 1982, which became the Musée d'Huez et de l'Oisans and then, in 2023, the Musée d'histoire et d'archéologie de l'Alpe d'Huez. The museum was awarded the "Musée de France" label in 2003 and moved to AgorAlp (former Palais des Sports et des Congrès de l'Alpe d'Huez, 1st floor) in 2012. A new scenography presenting the archaeological collection is visible and contextualizes the artifacts found above and below ground.

"Summer 1944. The Oisans Maquis".

Finally, let's not forget the extraordinary epic of the Oisans Maquis during the Second World War. Although the mountains seem to be an unspoilt area, sometimes tragic, often heroic events took place in the Grandes Rousses massif, and in Oisans more generally. Alpe d'Huez was home to a military hospital run by the Forces Françaises de l'Intérieur (FFI), first in Huez and then in the Signal chalet, an annex of the Grand Hôtel. "Faced with the advance of the German army and its desire to control the Oisans (following the capture of the Vercors in July), Doctor Tissot ordered the evacuation of the wounded patients in August 1944. This marked the beginning of a slow and difficult ascent for the patients, some of whom were in critical condition, and the hospital staff, to the heights of the Alpette and the slopes of the Grandes Rousses. They were helped by the crew of a Boeing B-24 Liberator, "11 Americans who fell from the sky" (Pierre Montaz's expression): the crash of their bomber over the commune of Prunières, near Gap, prompted them to cross the Oisans. They provided invaluable support for the FFI's withdrawal. Protecting the wounded as they climbed to higher ground, the Maquisards de l'Oisans put up a fierce fight on the heights of the Alpette against a division of German Alpine fighters, following the capture of the Vercors a short time earlier; they emerged victorious on August 14, 1944, with no loss of life. Relive this key event in the history of mountain Resistance through educational panels and objects from the Musée de l'Alpe d'Huez collection.


CULTURAL EVENTS

Activities (Nocturnes, guided tours of the Pic Blanc, the Museum and the Church of Notre-Dame des Neiges) are organized during the winter season at the Museum, from December to mid-April.
For further information, call 04 76 11 21 74 or e-mail accueil.musee@mairie-alpedhuez.fr

GUIDED TOURS

Guided tour of Pic Blanc (3330m)
Visit covering a wide range of topics: 3-star Green Guide panorama, history of the resort and skiing, information on geology, landscape, fauna, flora, glaciers, history of the resort...
No walking, maximum 20 people per tour (access by Pic Blanc cable car). Every Tuesday and Thursday during the winter season, from 10 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.
How to get there: meet in front of the Pic Blanc gondola ticket office (formerly DMC, at the top of the resort, 1850m above sea level, after the Pistes traffic circle, on the right).
Prices: please contact SATA (04 76 80 30 30).
Information and registration: 04 76 11 21 74

Other tours are offered by the Service culturel communal, with registration at the Museum (places are limited, with registration at the Museum, by e-mail or telephone at accueil.musee@mairie-alpedhuez.fr -; 5€ or 3€; 04 76 11 21 74):
- Notre-Dame des Neiges church (Wednesdays, 2:30 to 4pm; history and architecture of this remarkable religious and cultural building),
- Musée d'histoire et d'archéologie (Tuesdays, 4:30 to 5:30 pm; history of the resort from the Middle Ages to the present day)


FINE ARTS EXHIBITIONS SALLE ANNE AUVERGNE

In the Salle Anne Auvergne (AgorAlp, 1st floor), take advantage of the volume and luminosity of this exhibition room and its works to discover watercolors, acrylic paintings, sculptures, engravings, etc. for the duration of a winter.
Free admission; new exhibitions every 3 weeks.