Located in a mansion built in the 18th century, the Hèbre Museum has housed the collections of the Museum of Art and History and the Heritage Department of the town of Rochefort since 1860. In the town centre, unique spaces highlight the history of this maritime city that has never ceased to dialogue with the world.
Named in honour of Pierre-André Hèbre de Saint-Clément, mayor of the town from 1767 to 1771, and designed by the architect Pierre-Louis Faloci in the second half of the 19th century, the museum has a rich collection of non-European art thanks to the many works and objects brought back from the four corners of the world by the many explorers from Rochefort. For several centuries, discovery and adventure were indeed the key words of this city entirely turned towards its arsenal, built to establish and develop the maritime power of France. Paintings, masks, jewellery and statuettes from the South Pacific and the China Sea bear witness to this sumptuous era.
Over the last ten years or so, the museum has also embarked on a major policy of acquiring contemporary Oceanian art. As a result, it now has the second largest collection of Australian bark paintings after that of the Musée du Quai Branly-Jacques Chirac in Paris.
Since the house of Pierre Loti, the famous Frenchman from La Rocheforêt, was closed for renovation, the museum also offers a journey through his life and an incredible "3D" journey to discover the rooms of this extravagant house where the author gathered and exhibited all his wonderful travel memories.
While it is open to the world and all its cultures, the Hèbre museum also bears witness to the history of Rochefort, a particularly prosperous city at the time of the glory of its arsenal. The impressive relief plan designed by the engineer Pierre-Marie Touboulic in 1837 makes it possible to understand this and to apprehend its architecture and organization. Presented at the entrance of an entirely free space, it introduces the visitor to the Centre d'Interprétation de l'Architecture et du Patrimoine de Rochefort (CIAP). Thought as an entrance to the city, the scenography of this place immerses us in the heart of the city and gives us all the keys to understand its cultural, social, architectural and economic evolution.
Visiting Rochefort, the Hèbre museum is a must if you wish to familiarise yourself with the history of this Arsenal city. In addition, it houses a heritage department that organizes various guided tours that will take you on the trail of the most eminent characters and privateers of this city whose historical wealth is too underestimated.
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Crédits photo : 1-3©Marika Domenici_OT Rochefort Ocean / 2©David Compain / 4©Musee Hebre / 5©ChrysEcale OTRO