The Maritime, Fluvial and Harbour Museum of Rouen (french: musée maritime fluvial et portuaire de Rouen) is a museum dedicated to the history of the port of
Rouen
Rouen (, ; or ) is a city on the River Seine in northern France. It is the prefecture of the Regions of France, region of Normandy (administrative region), Normandy and the Departments of France, department of Seine-Maritime. Formerly one of ...
, which is one of the greatest ports of
France. The museum opened in 1999, during the
Rouen Armada
Rouen (, ; or ) is a city on the River Seine in northern France. It is the prefecture of the region of Normandy and the department of Seine-Maritime. Formerly one of the largest and most prosperous cities of medieval Europe, the populatio ...
, a festival of
tall ships
A tall ship is a large, traditionally- rigged sailing vessel. Popular modern tall ship rigs include topsail schooners, brigantines, brigs and barques. "Tall ship" can also be defined more specifically by an organization, such as for a race or fe ...
which takes place every five years.
The museum
The main themes are:
* History of the port, with photos, and an exhibition space about the destruction caused by
World War II
* Infrastructure of the port and the measures needed to render the
Seine
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navigable
* Heritage of Rouen in the
Age of Sail
The Age of Sail is a period that lasted at the latest from the mid-16th (or mid- 15th) to the mid- 19th centuries, in which the dominance of sailing ships in global trade and warfare culminated, particularly marked by the introduction of naval ...
, with an exhibit on the ships which transported
nickel from
New Caledonia
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* The
merchant navy, with numerous models of
cargo ship
A cargo ship or freighter is a merchant ship that carries cargo, goods, and materials from one port to another. Thousands of cargo carriers ply the world's seas and oceans each year, handling the bulk of international trade. Cargo ships are usu ...
s, including some which formerly docked at or near Building 13, which now houses the museum
*
River navigation
*
Shipbuilding
*
Whale hunting, with a whale skeleton (see below)
* The history of
submarine
A submarine (or sub) is a watercraft capable of independent operation underwater. It differs from a submersible, which has more limited underwater capability. The term is also sometimes used historically or colloquially to refer to remotely op ...
s, with a reproduction of the interior of
Robert Fulton's ''
Nautilus''
Visitors can see
trawler and
barge motors, a fog warning bell which was formerly located in the estuary of the
Risle,
surface-supplied diving gear and a reproduction of the
radio cabin of a 1960s ship.
The skeleton of a whale (on loan from the Natural History Museum of Rouen) is exhibited in the centre of the museum. It is a
fin whale which was 7 years old when it died after grounding on a beach.
A 38-metre barge, the ''Pompon Rouge'', is exhibited in the courtyard of the museum. Its hold has been transformed into an exhibition room about river navigation, including a model of a
lock.
In addition, there are regular temporary exhibitions on a variety of topics, such as the Rouen
transporter bridge or the
vikings.
Pictures
Image:Vue générale du musée.JPG, General view of the museum
Image:Pompon Rouge 001.JPG, The barge ''Pompon Rouge'', now an exhibition space
Image:Cale pompon 1.jpg, The hold of the barge, with the permanent exhibition on river navigation
Image:Moteur-Sulzer-6kd31.jpg, 28–tonne, 400 hp Sulzer motor (1937) which powered a trawler
Image:MAQUETTESCHIAF.JPG, Model of the ''Marie-Louise Schiaffino'', a ship which often docked in front of Building 13
Image:Maquette du Petraia.jpg, Model of the ''Petraia'', a ship which docked often at the coal dock, across the Seine from Building 13
Image:CLOCHE DE LA RISLE.JPG, Fog warning bell, formerly located in the estuary of the Risle
Image:Pont Transbordeur maquette.JPG, Model of the Rouen transporter bridge
Image:Squelette de baleine.JPG, Whale skeleton
Image:Cabine radio.JPG, Reproduction of the radio cabin of a 1960s ship
Image:Maquette du cuirassé Richelieu.JPG, Model of the 1939 French battleship ''Richelieu
Richelieu (, ; ) may refer to:
People
* Cardinal Richelieu (Armand-Jean du Plessis, 1585–1642), Louis XIII's chief minister
* Alphonse-Louis du Plessis de Richelieu (1582–1653), French Carthusian bishop and Cardinal
* Louis François Armand ...
''
Image:Scaphandrier musée Rouen.JPG, Diving gear
The site
The museum is located in a former port building, Building 13, not far from the new
Gustave Flaubert Bridge. The building was built in 1926, and was called Building M until 1966, when the Autonomous Port of Rouen (''Port autonome de Rouen'') was created.
Until the 1970s it was leased to the Schiaffino Company, which transported wine between Rouen and North Africa and used it as a wine warehouse until a special wine building was built, and thereafter mainly for fruit.
The building was subsequently used by a series of different companies until 1984, when it became surplus because of insufficient size.
See also
*
Maritime museum
External links
Musée maritime fluvial et portuaire de RouenOfficial site.
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Museums in Rouen
Local museums in France
Maritime museums in France