“Real Samurai armor”: our top 5 unusual and offbeat museums in Montpellier

Pour vos sorties de cet été, nous avons sélectionné cinq musées décalés, à Montpellier et aux alentours. MIDI LIBRE ET D.R.

Pour vos sorties de cet été, nous avons sélectionné cinq musées décalés, à Montpellier et aux alentours.

You have already visited Soulages at the Fabre museum, explored the current installations at MOCO and discovered the latest photo exhibition at the Pavillon Populaire ? Rest assured, Montpellier has a varied offering of museums for all audiences. Here are some unusual nuggets.

The Samurai House: “very rare, even in Japan”

Samurai Francis de Hebles gives free tours of his exceptional collection. DR – Francis of Hebles

Previously called the ‘Japan Museum’, the place has changed its name since its owner Francis de Hebles became a Samurai last year. He enjoys it: “the museum is at home”. The enthusiast, who also opened a Japanese martial arts school, welcomes “1 000 visitors per year”.

Inside, a true Japanese treasure, “including exceptional pieces sent directly from Japan” . There we find in particular “Samurai armor from the 16th and 17th centuries, katanas, statues, calligraphies”. Find a katana sword for sale here to add to your collection.

The museum, “very rare, even in Japan” according to its curator, attracts “a lot of Japanese visitors, but also tattoo artists and mangakas (manga authors)“. No surprise then that we can find certain armors in the series “Un si grand soleil”, filmed in Vendargues. Le Samouraï also collaborated with “a large video game company in Castelnau”, whose star franchise explores eras with remarkable historical precision.

Francis de Hebles rejoices: “We made visits yesterday and the day before yesterday. We will also do some this weekend. He invites the curious to “participate in the tea ceremony with a real Samurai” quot;.

Free guided tours, by appointment only via this number: 04 67 60 57 26.

The exotic Saharan museum

Faithful reconstructions. Free Midi – RICHARD DE HULLESSEN

C’is surely the most atypical of this selection : its architecture takes up the lines of bordj, citadels Ottomans, for total immersion. Among the nomadic objects and jewelry of this private museum, discover the reconstruction of a Libyan horse chariot in what is the only museum in Europe dedicated to the history of the Sahara.

Hours: Monday to Saturday, 2 p.m. to 6 p.m. Prices: 6 euros.

At the Musée d’Art Brut, works against the grain

A rich collection, spanning 800 m². DR

Formerly the artist’s studio of the zinc worker Fernand Michel, transformed into a museum in 2016, this place contains the second largest collection of art brut in France. The permanent collection offers on 800 m2 a panel of moving works, going against the grain of established culture, dating from the beginning of the 20th century to the present day.

Formerly called “the art of madmen”, art brut is today recognized as “an art in its own right”, explains Patrick Michel, Fernand’s son. With his brother Denys, he set up the museum “from scratch”, in homage to an artist ” who left his mark on his time and who left his mark on the city”. And connoisseurs travel from far and wide: “They come from England, the United States, Morocco…” lists the enthusiast.

Hours: Wednesday to Sunday, 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. and 2 p.m. to 6 p.m. Closed on public holidays. Prices: Full 8 euros, reduced 6 euros. Group visits by reservation: 04 67 79 62 22

A trip around the world at the Art and Fertility Museum

Doctor Fauveau takes care of the visits. Free Midday

This place opened in 2023 at the Beaux-Arts is dedicated to representations of female fertility around the world. The approximately 300 objects were collected by the pediatrician and humanitarian doctor Vincent Fauveau, over more than thirty years.

Art lovers, families and the curious, cross cultures and eras all the way to antiquity. Visits are carried out by the collector in person.

Hours: Open Mondays from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., closed from August 5 to 31. Guided tours at 11 a.m. and 3 p.m., or by reservation by email: artetfecondite@gmail.com. Prices: Free entry. Guided tour: 10 euros, 5 euros for pregnant women and midwives.

The Old Montpellier Museum and its beautiful pieces

The Black Madonna and Child, dated from the 13th century. Midi Libre – JEAN MICHEL MART

This small museum, nestled in the Hôtel de Varennes, overlooks Place Pétrarque. In a bourgeois apartment, discover furniture and objects linked to the history of the city, since the Middle Ages. Among other things, you will see stones extracted from the Bastille, the reconstruction of an 18th century salon and a statue of the Black Madonna, one of the most beautiful pieces of the place.
Also observe engravings, plans and perspectives which retrace the urban history of Montpellier.
Property of the City and listed as a historic monument, the private mansion which houses the museum is also worth the detour.

Opening hours: in summer, Tuesday to Sunday, from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. and from 2 p.m. to 7 p.m. Closed on public holidays. Prices: free. For guided group tours (10 people minimum), reservation required by email: visits@ville-montpellier.fr

Works and summer closures

Visitors, be informed: the Anatomy Museum and Conservatory, one of the most astonishing in the city, is closed for renovations. It should reopen in 2025.

Le Carré Sainte-Anne, a contemporary art space, has been closed for work since 2017. The deconsecrated church which houses it presented significant structural problems. Reopening planned for early 2025.

As for the Musée des Moulages, closed for the summer, it will reopen its doors on September 3.

Find here a selection of atypical museums in the region, proposed by the Hérault tourist office.

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