There are museums that recount the grand chapters of history with gilding, battles, and ceilings that sweep you off your feet. And then there are those that let the details speak: an old postcard, a daguerreotype, an archaeological artifact, a 19th-century rifle, the painted face of a resident from another era. The Adrien-Mentienne Museum, in Bry-sur-Marne, nicely belongs to this second school. For the Nuit européenne des musées 2026, to be held this year on Saturday, May 23, 2026, it offers a wonderful opportunity to rediscover a local heritage as discreet as it is abundant.
Every year, the Night of Museums turns a cultural visit into a nocturnal stroll. Many museums open their doors for free, often from dusk until midnight, to offer a more welcoming, playful, and sometimes slightly quirky look at their collections. Illuminated tours, activities, creative routes, or surprising discoveries are on the program.
In Bry-sur-Marne, the museum bears the name of Adrien Mentienne, a key local figure: mayor, historian, archaeologist and donor of the town’s first collection. Opened in 1973 and designated a Musée de France in 2003, the institution continues the story of a first small-town museum set up in the town hall as early as 1909, where a few display cases already showcased Bry’s past and the town’s most illustrious residents.
The museum's collections span local history, archaeology and rural life, but also the Franco-Prussian War of 1870 and the Battle of Champigny, with photographs, antique weapons, documents and prints. Visitors will also find postcards, old images of Bry-sur-Marne, and a substantial photographic archive—an array of small fragments that, over time, reconstruct the city's face through the ages.
You can’t discuss the museum without highlighting Louis Daguerre, the inventor of the daguerreotype and a towering figure tied to Bry-sur-Marne. The museum’s collections include daguerreotypes, photographic equipment, a polyorama panoptique, a magic lantern, and stereoscopic views. For fans of the history of photography, it’s an exciting gateway to the dawn of modern imaging.
The museum also houses fine art collections, notably the Maurice Joron collection and the Julien Lacaze collection. The Maurice-Joron Space, opened in 2010, is devoted to this portraitist whose family came from Bry-sur-Marne; the collection, comprising 150 works, was donated to the town by the artist’s daughter.
### Guided Tour of the Maurice Joron Space and the Louis Daguerre Diorama
The Maurice Joron Space is devoted entirely to portraitist Maurice Joron (1883-1937), whose collection was donated to the Town of Bry in 1995 by his daughter, Marie-Louise Joron. Located on the site of a former Bry farm, the venue invites visitors to discover the life and work of a talented artist who remains too little known, through a body of works that reveal the finesse and mastery of his art.
Unique in the world, the last Diorama designed by Louis Daguerre in 1842 and housed in the church of Bry-sur-Marne is a monumental trompe-l'oeil painting of 32 square meters, transformed by subtle lighting. Thanks to these lighting effects, the work comes alive, changing before the viewer and offering an immersive experience where the image seems to breathe.
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Dates and Opening Time
On May 23, 2026
Location
Adrien-Mentienne Museum
6B Grande Rue Charles de Gaulle
94360 Bry sur Marne
Official website
musee.brysurmarne.fr
