Museum of Huez and Oisans

Description

The only structure in a high-altitude resort with the Musée de France label, the Musée d'Huez et de l'Oisans tells the long history of the village of Huez and its mountain pastures, from the Middle Ages to the present day.

The museum presents visitors with two new scenographies, with the permanent exhibitions "The Mountain Show" and "Brandes and the Silver Rush of the 12th and 13th centuries". You will also find the space dedicated to the Second World War with the exhibition "Summer 1944. The Oisans Maquis".

3 EXHIBITIONS: "THE MOUNTAIN SHOW", "BRANDES AND THE SILVER STREET OF THE 11TH AND 13TH CENTURIES", "SUMMER 1944. LE MAQUIS DE L'OISANS".

Three exhibitions punctuate the visit of the museum, which is mainly open during the seasons (winter-summer) and during the school holidays (April and All Saints' Day):

"The mountain show".

Presented from December 2022, this permanent exhibition retraces the history of the transformation of the alpine chalets of the "Vieil Alpe" into hotels, forming an internationally renowned tourist resort from the 1980s and 1990s. Featuring 4 historical kiosks richly illustrated with photographs from the periods 1923-1939, 1945-1973, 1974-1989, 1990-2022, this exhibition with its explanatory and educational cubes reveals to the curious this rich history, through the role of the ski pioneers, the apogee of the family and traditional hotel business in the 1930s to 60s, sporting events such as the Tour de France, new snow-related activities such as snowboarding in the 1980s, summer skiing and ever more numerous events such as Tomorrowland Winter. In addition, the urban and architectural development of the resort is highlighted in the exhibition with the presence of a touch table (7 3D models of the districts of the resort) and an interactive terminal highlighting several witnesses to this urban development. The built heritage (hotels, ski lifts, public buildings, Rif Nel, individual chalets, etc.) of the Alpe is presented. Finally, the projection of INA films and a children's area will attract the attention of both adults and children.

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

Walking through the Alpe d'Huez today, who could believe that in the Middle Ages, a human community composed of men, women and children settled on the Brandes plateau, at the foot of the Saint-Nicolas rock, in order to extract silver ore from the mountain 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 all year round, despite the difficult climatic conditions from October to April. This technical and human history was revealed by the archaeological excavations begun in 1977 by MC Bailly-Maître and her teams of scientists and volunteers. They are still being carried out on an ad hoc basis today. The discoveries made during these excavations (extraction techniques, the manufacture of silver dust, the finished product of Brandes, religious practices and daily life, military construction) led to the creation of the Maison du Patrimoine in 1982, which later became the Musée d'Huez et de l'Oisans. This establishment obtained the "Musée de France" label in 2002 and moved to the Palais des Sports et des Congrès (1st floor) in 2012. A new scenography of this archaeological collection is visible and contextualizes the artefacts found underground.

"Summer 1944. The Oisans Maquis".

Finally, let us not forget the epic of the Oisans Maquis during the Second World War. If the mountains seem to be an unspoilt area, many 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 of the French Forces of the Interior (FFI), notably 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 treated in August 1944. This marked the beginning of a slow and difficult progression for the patients, some of whom were in a critical condition, and the hospital staff, up 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". The crash of their bomber in the commune of Prunières, near Gap, prompted them to cross the Oisans; they provided valuable assistance to the FFI's withdrawal. Protecting this rise in altitude, the Maquisards of the Oisans engaged in a fierce battle on the heights of the Alpette against a division of German Alpine fighters; they emerged victorious on 14 August 1944, without any human loss. Relive this historic event through educational panels and collection objects.

ANIMATIONS :

Workshop "Le grand atelier des maquettes" with Elise Allirand. The Musée d'Huez et de l'Oisans has asked Elise Allirand to offer a series of model workshops for the general public, in connection with her new exhibition "The spectacle of the mountain" (themes evoked: Brandes, chalets, Notre-Dame des Neiges, Rif Nel block buildings - materials and techniques)
Tuesday mornings from 10am to 12pm (July-August); on registration at the Museum, 5€ or 3€; from 10 years old (accompanied minors); limited places (information: at the Museum or 04 76 11 21 74)

GUIDED TOURS

* Guided tour of the Pic Blanc (3330m)
A visit that covers a wide range of subjects: 3-star Green Guide panorama, history of the resort and skiing, geology, landscape, fauna, glaciers, etc.
No walking (access by cable car). Every Monday and Wednesday during the summer season, from 10.30am to 12.30pm.
Meet in front of the DMC's outdoor ticket office (top of the resort); see SATA rates

* Other visits are proposed by the Cultural Service, with registration at the Museum (limited places; 5€ or 3€): Notre-Dame des Neiges church, panoramic path, Maquis de l'Oisans hike, Huez and the Sarenne mills, Brandes archaeological site
On registration at the Museum or by phone; 5€ or 3€; 25 people maximum.

* Guided tour of the exhibition "Le spectacle de la montagne" at the Museum of Huez and Oisans with Mathieu Blanchardon
Tour of the 4 history/architecture kiosks, audiovisual or interactive tools, and more broadly in the museum's collections
Every Friday during the summer season from 11am to 12pm. Meeting point at the museum (1st floor of the Palais des Sports et des Congrès). 5€ per person. 3€ per person with the PREMIUM or for families of at least three people. Duration: 1 hour. All ages, from 5 years old.
NEW * Guided tour on the architecture and built heritage of the resort
Tuesday afternoons, from 2.30 to 4.30 pm; from 10 years old; €5 or €3; meeting point: in front of the Tourist Office (Alpe d'Huez Tourisme)

FINE ARTS EXHIBITIONS IN THE ANNE AUVERGNE ROOM

In the Anne Auvergne room (1st floor of the Palais des Sports et des Congrès), take advantage of the volume and luminosity of this exhibition room and its works to discover watercolours, acrylic paintings, sculptures and engravings for a summer. Free entrance