The Heritage Days, it's one of the must-attend events in September in Paris and the Île-de-France region. A true highlight of the cultural calendar, this essential rendezvous invites us to discover our heritage in a new light, spotlighting our most precious treasures for a weekend.
Many venues are jumping in, including museums, monuments, castles, gardens, but also ministries, ministries, grand institutions, or even embassies. All are joining the show to reveal their secrets through a programming that is often free, featuring open or guided tours, animations and unprecedented workshops for young and old. As you can tell, this is a cultural insider tip you won’t want to miss during the weekend of September 19–20, 2026!
The whole Île-de-France is in on it every edition! It's also the chance to set off in search of the region's heritage, which more than earns the detour. A getaway to Seine-et-Marne could easily prove it: the department 77 is brimming with patrimoine treasures that remain too little known. This time, we're taking you to Melun, to discover the program awaiting in this city accessible by public transport for this 43rd edition of the Heritage Days!
Heritage Days 2026 at Astrolabe, Melun's municipal archives
Investigations in Melun. The Origins of Photography
As part of the European Heritage Days and the bicentennial of photography, the Municipal Archives of Melun invite you to join genealogical and historical workshops aimed at tracing the family lineages of photographers from Melun. Workshops led by Jérôme Malhache, a professional genealogist. Groups of 10 participants, aged 18 and over.
Participation conditions: Registration required — 10 participants per workshop, ages 18 and up — Free. Booking mandatory — archives@astrolabe-melun.fr, 01 60 56 54 30
Schedule: Sunday, September 20, 2026 — 2:30 PM to 3:30 PM, 4:00 PM to 5:00 PM
Heritage Days 2026 at the Saint-Jean Space
Photography and Archaeology
A slideshow on the archaeology of the Saint-Sauveur islet, the focus of historical and archaeological research—both preventive and planned—since the mid-19th century, and a showcase for the photographic documentation and the NuMel digitized database.
Participation conditions: Free | No reservation required
Hours: Friday, September 18, 2026 – 10:00 AM to 6:00 PM | Saturday, September 19, 2026 – 10:00 AM to 6:00 PM | Sunday, September 20, 2026 – 10:00 AM to 6:00 PM
Heritage Days 2026 at the Astrolabe Media Library
Monumental botanical cyanotype projections on the façade of the Administrative City
Botanical cyanotypes from the Musée des Arts Décoratifs in Paris
Henri Bodin was an architectural decorator specializing in wallpaper and textiles. Around 1895 he created a series of cyanotype photograms of plants and leaves. This photographic process, born in the 19th century, yields unique prints without a camera, simply by harnessing sunlight.
You will encounter these botanical ornaments set against Prussian blue, projected across the façade of the Cité administrative, throughout September from Tuesday to Saturday, at dusk.
Participation requirements: Free | No reservation required
Schedule: Friday, September 18, 2026 — 8:00 PM ⤏ 11:30 PM | Saturday, September 19, 2026 — 8:00 PM ⤏ 11:30 PM
The 2026 Heritage Days at the Museum of Art and History in Melun
Guided tour of the Melun Administrative Court (the former Carmes Convent)
An exceptional opening of the Administrative Court and a guided tour of the oldest architectural ensembles of the Carmelite Monastery, the site of the Court's installation in the 19th century.
Participation conditions: Free | Reservation required - 01 64 79 77 70, musee@ville-melun.fr
Hours: Saturday, September 19, 2026 — 10:00–11:00, 11:00–12:00
Heritage in Poetry
As they explore the collections, children aged 8 to 12 will be able to select a work and create a poem for a competition.
Participation terms: Free | No reservation required
Hours: Saturday, September 19, 2026 — 2:00 PM to 6:00 PM | Sunday, September 20, 2026 — 2:00 PM to 6:00 PM
Self-guided tour of the exhibition “À maintes reprises / Déformés, détournés, réinventés”
### The Frac Île-de-France and the Melun Museum of Art and History explore sculpture—from the 19th century to the present day.
### An exhibition presented as part of the “Le Syndrome de Bonnard, or the Impermanence of Works” off-site program.
The Frac Île-de-France teams up with the Melun Museum of Art and History for an show that invites a dialogue between works by Émilie Pitoiset, Erwin Wurm, Haris Epaminonda, and Pierre Paulin from the FRAC Île-de-France collection and pieces from Melun’s collection dedicated to Henri Chapu, a central figure in 19th‑century sculpture.
Winner of the Grand Prix de Rome in 1855, Chapu embodies an era when academic sculpture dominated the École des Beaux-Arts. His works, reinterpreted here through lenses of reproduction, appropriation, and re-appropriation, speak to the concerns of today’s artists.
From drawing to the model, from bronze to performance, the show reveals how sculpture, deeply rooted in its heritage, continues to reinvent itself from century to century.
Participation requirements: Free | No reservation required
Hours: Saturday, September 19, 2026 — 2:00 PM ⤏ 6:00 PM | Sunday, September 20, 2026 — 2:00 PM ⤏ 6:00 PM
Self-guided tour of the collections
Discover the museum's permanent collections, featuring 19th-century paintings and sculptures, as well as the city’s iconography.
Participation conditions: Free | No reservation required
Schedule: Saturday, September 19, 2026 — 2:00 PM to 6:00 PM | Sunday, September 20, 2026 — 2:00 PM to 6:00 PM
Concert with commentary
The fortepiano takes pride of place as professors from the municipal conservatory present a narrated recital of works from the late 18th century to the early 19th century.
Participation requirements: Free | No booking required
Schedule: Saturday, September 19, 2026 — 3:00 PM to 3:15 PM, 3:30 PM to 3:45 PM, 4:00 PM to 4:15 PM
Dates and Opening Time
From September 19, 2026 to September 20, 2026
Location
Melun
melun
77000 Melun
Route planner
Official website
www.ville-melun.fr
