Remember Jules Ferry? Back in 1879, he founded something special in Paris. It was the Mus\u00e9e p\u00e9dagogique. This museum was all about helping teachers. Ferry wanted to give elementary education the same boost that the Conservatoire des arts et m\u00e9tiers gave to technical teaching.
Now, fast forward to today. We are standing before the modern version of that idea: the Mus\u00e9e de l’\u00c9ducation. It is not in Paris anymore. It lives on as the Mus\u00e9e national de l’\u00c9ducation in Rouen. It still carries Ferry’s vision. The Mus\u00e9e de l’\u00c9cole Publique preserves the history of education.
Think of it as a treasure chest. It is filled with old schoolbooks and teaching materials. There are student projects and photographs. The Mus\u00e9e de l’\u00c9cole Publique even boasts educational toys.
The Mus\u00e9e de l’\u00c9cole Publique started collecting these items. It grew over the decades. The historical and museum aspects became more important. All these collections moved to Rouen in 1980. They became the heart of the Mus\u00e9e national de l’\u00c9ducation.
The Mus\u00e9e de l’\u00c9cole Publique’s goal was to gather school-related items. The goal was to preserve them. People could study them. They could be put on display. The CRDP in Rouen helped build these collections.
In 2001, the Maison des Quatre Fils Aymon became the Muna\u00e9’s exhibition center. It had a complete makeover. By 2010, the museum’s collections and resource center moved. They are now at 6 rue de Bihorel in Rouen.
The Mus\u00e9e de l’\u00c9cole Publique became part of R\u00e9seau CANOP\u00c9 in 2011. This is the Centre national de Documentation p\u00e9dagogique.
What does the Mus\u00e9e de l’\u00c9cole Publique actually do? It gathers materials related to the history of education. It wants to make these available for scientific study. The goal is public access. The goal is also practical use for research.
The Muna\u00e9 has a resource center. It holds over 900,000 documents. These documents cover French education from the 16th century to today. The museum also has an exhibition center. It is open to everyone.
You can even see some of the collections online. The Mus\u00e9e de l’\u00c9cole Publique works with similar institutions in other countries. It is part of the International Symposium for School Museums and School History Collections.
Here in France, the Mus\u00e9e de l’\u00c9cole Publique leads a growing network. This network includes many local school museums. The Centre d’expositions is in the Maison des Quatre Fils Aymon since 1980. This building is a historical monument. It was built around 1475.
The Maison is one of Rouen’s best half-timbered houses. It is named after a famous medieval romance. The Capelles family probably built it. They were cloth merchants. The building changed hands over the years. It belonged to textile merchants.
The Robec district changed over time. It used to be a center for wool textiles. Cotton took over. Textile workers left. The area became home to cheap housing. The Maison des Quatre Fils Aymon became a rooming house. It even became a bar. Gustave Flaubert described it in Madame Bovary.
The house grew in 1873. It added a neighboring half-timbered house. People considered it a disreputable place. In the 20th century, it was ironically called the “Salle des mariages.”
The house has large gables. It has two corbelled stories. The framework is often covered in slate. Inside, you can see large beams. There is also a painted ceiling. It is in an Italian style from around 1600.
The city of Rouen bought the abandoned building in 1960. The facades became historical monuments. In 1975, the Ministry of Education got the building. It was to become the showcase for the future Mus\u00e9e national de l’\u00c9ducation.
Restoration began in 1978. The exhibition center opened in 1980. The site was completely renovated between 1996 and 2001. It reopened in December 2001. The ground floor and top floor were renovated again from 2013 to 2015. These renovations created updated exhibition spaces.
So, as you explore the Mus\u00e9e de l’\u00c9cole Publique remember its long journey. It began with Jules Ferry’s vision. It continues to preserve and share the story of education.