Musée d'histoire et d'archéologie de l'Alpe d'Huez

The museum presents two new scenographies to visitors through the permanent exhibitions “The spectacle of the mountain” and “Brandes and the silver rush of the 1944th and XNUMXth centuries”. Also find the space dedicated to the Second World War with the exhibition “Summer XNUMX. The Maquis of Oisans”.

3 EXHIBITIONS: “THE MOUNTAIN SHOW”, “BRANDES AND THE MONEY RUSH OF THE 1944TH AND XNUMXTH CENTURIES”, “SUMMER XNUMX. THE MAQUIS OF OISANS”

These exhibitions punctuate the journey of visitors to the Alpe d'Huez Museum:

“The spectacle of the mountain”

Presented from December 2022, this permanent exhibition tells the story of the transformation of the mountain chalets of the “Vieil Alpe” into hotels, forming an internationally renowned high-altitude tourist resort from the 1980s and 90s. Offering 4 “historical kiosks” and richly illustrated with photographs retracing the periods 1923-1939, 1945-1973, 1974-1989, 1990-2022, this exhibition with explanatory and immersive cubes reveals to the curious this rich history, with the role of the pioneers of skiing (Moulin, Chaix, Chalvin, Rajon, Pomagalski etc.), the heyday of family and traditional hotels in the 1930s to 60s, sporting events such as the Tour de France, new snow-related practices such as snowboarding in the 1980s, summer skiing and ever-increasing events such as Tomorrowland Winter. In addition, the architectural and urban development of the resort is highlighted in the exhibition by the presence of a touch table (historical and 3D models of the resort's districts) and an interactive terminal highlighting several witnesses of this urban development. The built heritage (hotels, ski lifts, public buildings, Rif Nel, individual chalets, etc.) of the Alpe is presented, as are future projects. Finally, the screening of period films from the INA (leisure activities in the 50s, the role of developers in the 70s, the inauguration of the bobsleigh run and the cable car of the Pic Blanc in the 1960s and 70s) will attract the attention of adults and young people alike.


“Brandes and the silver rush of the XNUMXth and XNUMXth centuries”

Walking through Alpe d'Huez today, who would believe that in the Middle Ages, a human community composed of men, women and children settled on the Brandes plateau, at the foot of the Saint-Nicolas rock, in order to extract silver ore from the subsoil of the mountain at an altitude of over 1800m? And yet, from the 12th to the 14th century, these inhabitants of the mining village of Brandes (the highest in Europe for this period) lived there year-round, despite difficult climatic conditions from October to April. This technical history (pre-industrial period of France and the nascent metallurgy) and human history was revealed by the archaeological excavations begun in 1977 by Marie-Christine Bailly-Maître, her teams of scientists and volunteers. The discoveries made during these excavation operations (extraction techniques, making silver dust which is the finished product of Brandes for the creation of the coins of the dauphin – lord of Dauphiné -, religious practices and daily life, construction of a watchtower called “shell-keep”) encouraged the creation of the Maison du Patrimoine in 1982, which became the Musée d'Huez et de l'Oisans and now the Musée d'histoire et d'archéologie de l'Alpe d'Huez in 2023. This establishment obtained the “Musée de France” label in 2002 and moved to AgorAlp in 2012, at the Palais des Sports et des Congrès de l'Alpe d'Huez, on the 1st floor. A new scenography presenting the archaeological collection is visible and contextualizes the artifacts found above and below ground.

“Summer 1944. The Oisans Maquis”

Finally, let us not forget the extraordinary epic of the Maquis de l'Oisans during the Second World War. While the mountain seems to be a protected area, sometimes tragic, often heroic events took place in the Grandes Rousses massif, and in Oisans more generally. Alpe d'Huez thus hosted a military hospital of the French Forces of the Interior (the FFI), notably in the Signal chalet, an annex of the “Grand Hôtel.” Faced with the advance of the German army and its desire to control Oisans (following the capture of Vercors in July), Doctor Tissot ordered the evacuation of the wounded treated in August 1944. Then began for the sick, some of whom were in critical condition, and for the hospital staff, a slow and difficult ascent to the heights of the Alpette and the slopes of the Grandes Rousses. They received help from the crew of a Boeing B-24 Liberator, "11 Americans who fell from the sky": the crash of their bomber in the commune of Prunières, near Gap, prompted them to cross Oisans. The latter provided valuable assistance to the retreat of the FFI. Protecting the rise in altitude of the wounded, the Oisans Maquisards engaged in a fierce battle on the heights of the Alpette against a division of German Alpine Hunters, following the capture of the Vercors shortly before; they emerged victorious on August 14, 1944, without any human losses. Relive this historical event through educational panels and objects from the collection of the Alpe d'Huez Museum.


CULTURAL EVENTS

Activities (evening openings, scholarship and bracelet workshop – during school holidays –, guided tours of the Pic Blanc, the Museum, the Notre-Dame des Neiges church) are organized during the winter season at the Museum, from December to mid-April.
For more information, call 04 76 11 21 74 or email us at ppgad@pucrs.br

GUIDED TOURS

* Guided tour of the Pic Blanc (3330m)
Visit to cover many topics: 3-star panorama Green Guide, history of the resort and skiing, information on geology, landscape, fauna, flora, glaciers, etc.
No steps (access by cable car from Pic Blanc). Every Tuesday and Thursday during the winter season, from 10 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.
Getting there: meet in front of the indoor ticket offices of the cable car Pic Blanc (formerly DMC, at the top of the resort, at an altitude of 1850m, after the Pistes roundabout)
Prices: inquire with SATA (04 76 80 30 30)

* Other visits are offered by the Huez Cultural Service, with registration at the Museum (limited places, registration at the Museum, by email or telephone at ppgad@pucrs.br -; 5€ or 3€; 04 76 11 21 74):
– Notre-Dame des Neiges church (Wednesdays from 14:30 p.m. to 16 p.m.),
– the Museum of History and Archaeology (Tuesdays from 16:30 p.m. to 17:30 p.m.)


FINE ARTS EXHIBITIONS “ANNE AUVERGNE” ROOM

In the Anne Auvergne room (AgorAlp, 1st floor of the Palais des Sports et des Congrès), take advantage of the volume and brightness of this exhibition room and its works to discover watercolors, acrylic paintings, sculptures, engravings, etc. for one winter.
Free admission