Grand Pressigny MuseumImmerse yourself in a family visit full of discoveries! The museum’s rich collections come to life with fire-lighting demonstrations and flintknapping workshops. A unique experience awaits you during the school holidays, with special events for young and old alike. From the PalaeolithicMedieval to the Bronze Age, explore the fascinating panorama of societies that have shaped our land.
Museum of Prehistory - Grand Pressigny
Musee Grand Pressigny Credit Cd37 Leonard De Serres 2029 2
Musee Grand Pressigny Credit Adt Touraine Jc Coutand 2030 12Overlooking the Claise valley, this imposing fortress bears witness to nine centuries of architecture. The Renaissance gallery, commissioned by Honorat de Savoie-Villars in the 16th century, sublimates the austerity of the medieval walls. Admire its majestic keep, which rises to a height of 35 metres and offers a striking panorama of the village.
The transformation into a museum in 1955 marked a turning point in its history. In 2009, architect Bernd Hoge designed a bold contemporary extension, creating a fascinating dialogue between heritage and modernity. Today, these spaces house therich collections tracing the human adventure, from the Palaeolithic to the Bronze Age.
Museum of Prehistory - Grand Pressigny
Musee Grand Pressigny Credit Cd37 Leonard De Serres 2029 5A true geological signature of the region, Grand-Pressigny flint stands out for its exceptional quality. The master cutters of the 3rd millennium made it a prized material, transforming their techniques into a refined art. The great blades produced in these workshops shone throughout Western Europe, from Switzerland to the Netherlands.
The Neanderthal Man himself already appreciated this Turonian flint with its unique properties. The museum reveals this fascinatingflint industry through an interactive museography. In the cellars of the château, discover how these exceptional craftsmen were able to exploit this resource to create remarkably fine tools, precious testaments to their skills.
The walls of the caves in the Claise valley reveal the earliest artistic expressions in Touraine. Through a unique collection of stone engravings, the Musée de la préhistoire reveals the talent of these Palaeolithic artists. From animal figurines to stylised human representations, their works bear witness to a surprisingly modern sensibility.
Look out in particular for the remarkable engravings in the Roche-Cotard cave, veritable gems of regional prehistoric art. These creations, dating from over 38,000 BC, illustrate the technical mastery and creativity of our ancestors. The museum highlights these essential social and cultural aspects, enhancing the notoriety of Touraine on the archaeological front.
Musee Du Grand Pressigny Credit Adt Touraine M Taffut 2034 32Go back 100,000 years in the footsteps of the master cutters of Grand-Pressigny. The permanent exhibition reveals their ancestral techniques through striking reconstructions. Faced with authentic tools, you’ll understand how these craftsmen were able to exploit local resources with remarkable precision.
In the origins room, life-size reproductions of emblematic animals such as the woolly mammoth and the megaceros transport you to the heart of the Palaeolithic. Fire-lighting demonstrations, organised regularly by the museum’s passionate mediators, bring to life the gestures of our ancestors from before BC.
A tactile area allows the most curious to handle copies of prehistoric tools. This unique, sensitive approach enhances your immersion in the daily lives of these populations who shaped the history of Touraine.
Musee Du Grand Pressigny Credit Adt Touraine M Taffut 2034 13
