Immerse yourself in the restoration of this historic monument of Yvelines

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It is a bit of a discovery of the intimacy of the castle that the National Archeology Museum (Man) located in Saint-Germain-en-Laye (Yvelines) currently offers. Until February 10, 2025, the site presents an exhibition entitled “All in boxes! », lifting the veil behind the scenes of the restoration of this historic monument launched 10 years ago.

“An essential phase in the life of the museum”

“In 2014, the restoration of the Château de Saint-Germain-en-Laye marked the beginning of a complete redevelopment museum spaces and a turning point in the conservation of the archaeological collections housed within it,” recalls Le Man.

“The All in Boxes! returns to this essential phase in the life of the museum, where objects were carefully moved, inventoried, and captured by the photographic eye. »

640,000 objects inventoried

The collection reorganization project alone mobilized the teams for almost six years and the figures give an idea of ​​the challenges faced. Indeed, between June 2018 and February 2024, the staff involved in this adventure inventoried 640,000 objects before moving and packing them in nearly 8,000 bins and crates.

“This represents more than 200 objects per day per person, illustrating the scale and precision required to preserve and document this remarkable heritage. »

The daily life of the teams

The exhibition “All in Boxes!” » invites the public to experience this colossal construction sitel from the inside by discovering photos retracing the daily life of the managers, restaurateurs, curators and students involved in this enterprise.

The images presented were taken by the museum's photographers, but also by six students from the master's degree in practices, histories, theories of photography at the University of Paris 8, as part of a carte blanche.

“A dialogue between past and present”

For Le Man, these photos “thus offer visitors the possibility of opening the doors to this discreet universe of conservation, where each object, carefully packaged, tells a part of the story. »

“The exhibition thus opens a dialogue between past and present, questioning the history of collections, humanity and its environment. »

The exhibition is visible during museum opening hours every day (except Tuesday, December 25 and December 1^is January) from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Access to the exhibition is included in the museum entrance ticket set at €6.

National Archeology Museum, Place Charles-de-Gaulle in Saint-Germain-en-Laye.

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