in Paimpol, the old drying room will no longer house the sea museum

The old security cod from rue Labenne to Paimpol (Côtes-d’Armor) will change Soon of vocation. It will no longer house the maritime museum, but this element of maritime heritage will have another purpose, announces the mayor of Paimpol.

The exhibitions around themaritime history of Paimpol will take on a completely different form…

“The drying room will remain a cultural place”

Discussions “are underway” and agreements “pending to be signed”, concerning the new vocation of the sea museum building, on rue Labenne.

A building closed for three years for heavy work restoration.

This old cod drying plant, which was ultimately never used as such (1), is an important element in the history of the city, “an element of our heritage to be preserved” confirms the mayor, Fanny Chappé.

The drying room will remain a cultural facility, but it will be something completely different and it will no longer house the Museum of the Sea.

The new project will be unveiled at the end of January-beginning of February, says the mayor. “We must separate two things, heritage equipment and exhibitions.”

Exhibitions that the museum of the old drying room used to present every year, in partnership with the Friends of the Museum of the Sea.

“The model of the municipal museum of the past where you take your ticket no longer works”

This distinction between the location and the exhibitions was explained and presented to the members of the Friends of the Museum of the Sea association before their general meeting, assures Fanny Chappé.

“We are working with the association on a new way of telling the maritime history of Paimpol,” indicates the mayor who believes that today there is a public expectation for more interactive presentations, combining 3D, video, walks, etc.

The model of the municipal museum of the past, where you buy your ticket, no longer works. We need to modernize the way we present the history of the city to make it more readable and as attractive as possible to as many people as possible: to children, to Paimpol residents and to outside visitors…

The port, Iceland and the hydro

THE expositions futures on the maritime history of Paimpol will therefore have as a starting point “another place exhibition of the city” indicates the mayor without saying more. But we quickly come to mind, the Halle hall on Place Gambetta…

It will be about thematic exhibitions who will change every two or three years :

There are three major subjects that must be told in Paimpol: the history of the port, that of the hydro school and fishing in Iceland, but which will not be told at the same time.

External partners

Each of these topics will be a exhibition theme particular which may involve external actors or places.

“There are complementarities to be found with partners to create links around each theme,” says the mayor, citing the maritime high school, the Milmarin center, Eskale d’Armor, or even the national higher school of the merchant navy. of Saint-Malo, whose director affirms that “the capital of the merchant navy is Paimpol”.

And new projecttherefore, to tell the story of Paimpol differently in which Fanny Chappé hopes to involve the association of Friends of the Sea Museum :

They are passionate about the history of Paimpol with whom we have always worked for exhibitions, we cannot do this without them. They have the legitimacy to participate in the project with their knowledge and their strong attachment to the city.

And the collections?

There is also the question of become collections so far hosted at the rue Labenne museum.

“We have recruited a person whose job is to carry out the verification (operation to control the presence of works of art listed in the inventory. Ed.) of the collections. It will allow us to better know our inventory and to clarify things with the Friends of the Museum of the Sea.”

This work will also make it possible to classify what falls under each theme and which can be integrated into future exhibitions. “The objects, the painters' canvases, the costumes, all of this is very important to show to tell the history of the city. »

It remains to define a storage location.

The first exposition 2025 will take place inJune.

It will revolve around theCall from General de GaulleJune 18, 1944. A call heard by Paimpolais, in particular students of thehydro school…

1) The factory was built for the Count of Labenne, natural son of Napoleon III, by the engineer Tellier, from 1880. It was intended to process Icelandic fishing, but following the death of the Count in 1882 , the dryer was never used for this purpose. Before becoming a museum, the red brick building housed a carpentry then a sailmaker for the Dauphin family.

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