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Come join us as we make cider, apple juice and cook seasonal vegetable recipes for our Autumn/Fall Festival! It is also the only time of the year when you can taste our traditional roasted chestnuts. We also have plenty of tasty recipes based on the season's emblematic vegetable: the pumpkin.
ONE-TIME EVENT

Autumn Festival

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Workshop presenting the different stages of creating beeswax candles.

beeswax candles

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Beekeeping

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Workshop animation

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In the garden

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ONE-TIME EVENT

About ironing

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In a faithful reproduction of an old village shop, discover all that was regularly sold to people living in small countryside hamlets, as well as an impressive collection of antique clothes-irons. Next to this part of the visit can also be found the workshop of Gaby Le Bras (the museum's founder), who remains eager to show you his craftsmanship in carving old wooden toys and games.
PERMANENT WORKSHOP

The local village shop

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ONE-TIME EVENT

Embroidery on tulle

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In the past, learning embroidery was an integral part of a young girl's education. In this region, it consisted mainly of embroidery on tulle or velvet (whether beaded or not), mainly dedicated to embellishing costumes and lace worn in everyday life. Household linen was also made in this way - notably sheets and tablecloths - but less frequently. During your visit, you'll be able to observe various models of headdresses and costumes on display at the museum, each of them reflecting the different social status of the people who owned them.
PERMANENT WORKSHOP

Embroidery, sewing and traditional costume exhibition

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Roasting methods, choice of coffee beans and the process used to grind them, as well as the use of chicory: the volunteers are keen to tell you all about how this brown gold was made and consumed before the arrival of modern machines.
ONE-TIME EVENT

Brewing coffee the old-fashioned way

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Held in the museum's outdoor courtyard, the wheel strapping activity offers you a living glimpse of a vanished trade, occupied by those who were called wheelwrights. Step by step, this intense work is carried out in front of your eyes in accordance with traditional methods, to produce cartwheels ready for use.
ONE-TIME EVENT

Wheel-strapping

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ONE-TIME EVENT

Cider

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Ropes are an essential tool for seafarers and are closely linked to the maritime heritage of our region, just as is their manufacture. Children and adults alike can discover the work and knowledge of Gabriel – one of our volunteers – in this field, while directly participating in the process of ropemaking with their own hands
PERMANENT WORKSHOP

Ropemaking

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Feeling a little hungry during your visit? Come enjoy the traditional Breton crepes made directly by our volunteers at their stall, in the woodworking hangar. You can also take that opportunity to ask us any questions you might have about how they are made, and we will be glad to answer them.
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Tasting Breton crepes

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ONE-TIME EVENT

Crepes from the old time

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This workshop is led by Roland, one of our volunteers with a long-standing passion for this practice. During your visit, he'll be happy to show you the different methods employed to craft the wooden spoons our ancestors used every day, and how versatile utensils could be made from a simple piece of wood. From time to time, a local sculptor - Hervé Roland - will also be present to showcase his skills in the making of traditional wedding spoons, renowned throughout Brittany for their intricate styles and designs.
PERMANENT WORKSHOP

Crafting wooden spoons

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When this activity is organized, our volunteers arrive early in the morning to light up the fire in our bread oven and bake until midday. This way, the result is made available to you in the afternoon: freshly baked bread and brioches full of authentic wood-burning aromas. Happy tasting
WEEKLY ANIMATION

The baking of bread in our traditional wood-fired oven

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During your visit to the museum, Marcel – one of our volunteers – will be glad to take you through the various stages of the process used to transform apples from our orchards into delectable cider. First, you will find out which varieties producers prefer to use, and how grafting is employed to reproduce them. Then, you will learn more about the techniques used to harvest and press the apples, before discovering the fermentation process responsible for turning sugar into alcohol, using yeasts to produce the sparkling cider we all know. Not a fan of alcohol? No problem, as you can dive into the making of apple juice instead, traditionally taken from the press just before the fermentation starts. Marcel will then round off your visit by showing you how vinegar can also be made from cider, and unveiling the lambic. Free glasses to be poured for those who win the quizzes!
PERMANENT WORKSHOP

From apples to cider

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Breton specialties: (depending on the day) Breton cake, kouign amann (butter cake), pâte cake, far Breton.
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Breton specialties

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In October, the museum is bathed in a flurry of warm colors and the sound of rustling leaves. So, feel free to come discover (or rediscover) the wealth of vegetables and fruits this season has to offer: pumpkins, ripe apples or roasted chestnuts and their unique flavor. This late-year treasure can be enjoyed in many forms, from cider and cakes to juices, doughnuts or creamy soups. And all of this in a festive atmosphere, of course.
ONE-TIME EVENT

Traditional apple and pumpkin-based recipes

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Isabelle will be able to show you the technique of gold plating, which has been used by goldsmiths for centuries to decorate monuments, statues and pieces of art as diverse as they are glittering.
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Gilding with gold leaf

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With our volunteers' help, feel free to discover the numerous tools used in centuries past to transform wheat grains into tasty bread without resorting to modern methods (such as electrical appliances). Blenders, millstones, wood fires…a thorough visual, auditory, olfactory and of course gustatory experience well-liked by all of our visitors for this workshop.
PERMANENT WORKSHOP

From wheat to bread

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Marie-Alice will show you her authentic manual skimmer and explain in detail how milk was traditionally skimmed.
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The skimming of milk

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The squaring of timber conducted outdoors offers a unique opportunity to travel back in time and experience an essential part of farming life in Brittany. The cutting technique - both strong and graceful - offers an equally faithful view into the harsh, tiring and often unforgiving labor all households had to undertake in rural areas, generally doing so at the same time and helping neighbors out when doing so was needed. More than anything, this activity showcases how important solidarity between farmers and communal help was for the success of every inhabitant of the village
ONE-TIME EVENT

Squaring timber with an axe

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A very nutritious cake invented in Douarnenez in the 19th century and which quickly became famous throughout the region, the kouign-amann baked at the Museum will undoubtedly delight your taste buds! Butter and sugar in large quantities... for an exceptional speciality greatly enjoyed by volunteers and visitors alike.
ONE-TIME EVENT

Making kouign-amann, our region's renowned butter cake

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As the ancestors of modern shoes and boots, clogs are shown at their best in this workshop. The volunteer clogmakers also take joy in demonstrating how they are made in real time in front of you, with their wide range of tools: hoof knife, paroir, axe, cutter or digger. Discover the shoeing of the peasants of the past, whose knowledge is still perpetuated here
PERMANENT WORKSHOP

Clogmaking

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Juliette – one of our volunteers at the museum – will be delighted to prepare a whole variety of herbal teas in front of you. Brewed for centuries by the inhabitants of rural Brittany, they all possess medicinal, physical or psychological virtues that you will no doubt discover when drinking them. Dive deep into their many secrets during this fun workshop!

Making herbal teas

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As a logical follow-up to the milk skimming workshop, the traditional churned butter production organised at the Museum is not to be missed, for both your eyes and your taste buds. Discover the manufacturing tools of the past while enjoying freshly made semi-salted blocks.
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Making butter the old-fashioned way

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Given the insufficient quality and quantity of hygiene products available for purchase in Breton markets during WWII - a time period when rationing had a massive impact on domestic life - farmers quickly had to improvise and make their own products, and especially home-made soap. Resourcefulness was the order of the day, and women had to use sheep or beef fat, as pork fat was reserved for human consumption. The soap-making process started by heating the animal fat and successively adding beeswax, caustic soda and ivy leaves, thereby adding the foaming characteristics. This resulting paste was then poured into a wooden rectangular mold and left to dry for a few days, before finally being cut into bars to be used for body hygiene. However, this method of making soap was quickly discarded once the war ended and normal economic circumstances returned. Today, the search for modern home-made processes has incited our volunteers to show you how to make your own scented soap at home, this time using fully eco-friendly vegetal oils instead of animal fat.
ONE-TIME EVENT

Soap-making

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Bread shaping

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Feel free to make the best out of this special event! Organized yearly by the museum, its aim is to showcase the great variety of traditional Breton costumes and embroidery hailing from different areas of the region. It will also help you learn more about the different techniques used to maintain old headdresses and collars, as well as the evolution of the iron (an essential home appliance) throughout the last century.
ONE-TIME EVENT

Embroidery & Ironing Festival

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Bread and Butter Festival

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ONE-TIME EVENT

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Rhythmed by the sounds of striking hammers on anvils, the orange glow of its fires and the gusts of its mechanical blowers, the forge offers a unique view into the making of traditional iron tools, both for farming and homekeeping purposes
PERMANENT WORKSHOP

The forge

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Responsible for the peasants' medicine cabinets and the many traditional remedies used before the spread of modern medicine, the herbalist was a crucial link between the medicinal gardens and the ailing townsfolk. He was a sort of rural pharmacist whose original counter and tools can still be observed within the Museum, next to the village shop.
WEEKLY ANIMATION

The herbalist's

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Our volunteers are delighted to help you get acquainted with traditional Breton dancing and its steps. Come experience its subtlety and beauty directly with us in the main hangar, next to the woodworking stations!
ONE-TIME EVENT

Breton dances for beginners

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Neither adults nor children can miss the activity supervised by our friend Gaby! Right next to the village shop, Gaby Le Bras, one of the original founders of our museum back in 1978, is still eager to share his craftsmanship skills with you when it comes to making children's toys and games out of wood. Giving you a heartfelt window into his past, he carves out the same children's games his father taught him to create as a child, and gives them to you as a token of his appreciation and thanks for your visit. You can also make your own games beside him with the tools at your disposal, if you wish to do so. And of course, it's free!
WEEKLY ANIMATION

Old children's games

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The yearly 'Heritage Days' is a nationwide event organized by the Ministry of Culture during which everyone may freely visit the cultural and historical wealth of France. Although our museum naturally takes part in it, and is fully open during the days in question, there is still an admission fee. On top of the daily activities of our volunteers, we invite you to take part in the guided tours of the Argol church and parish enclosure specifically organized for the duration of the Heritage Days.
ONE-TIME EVENT

Heritage Days

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During these days, our volunteers come to the museum fully dressed in the traditional costumes of the different cultural areas found within Finistère. This makes for an exceptional atmosphere during your visit
ONE-TIME EVENT

Traditional costume-wearing days

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In October, the museum is bathed in a flurry of warm colors and the sound of rustling leaves. So, feel free to come discover (or rediscover) the wealth of vegetables and fruits this season has to offer: pumpkins, ripe apples or roasted chestnuts and their unique flavor. This late-year treasure can be enjoyed in many forms, from cider and cakes to juices, doughnuts or creamy soups. And all of this in a festive atmosphere, of course.
ONE-TIME EVENT

Chestnuts

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As a direct follow-up to the embroidery workshop on your visit, our volunteers will be delighted to show you how wool was traditionally spun, and what practical uses could be garnered from the process. Working on a spinning wheel or spindle to produce sweaters, slippers or other warm garments: this step was essential to the life of every family before the advent of mass consumption. In fact, each household had a dedicated number of sheep to shear for this. You can find out more by listening to our enthusiastic volunteers, who will also take the opportunity to show you another of the museum's exhibits: a collection of irons demonstrating their technological evolution over the last century.
PERMANENT WORKSHOP

Wool spinning, old irons exhibition

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Beside the museum's garden and clogmaker's hut, feel free to watch this essential activity unfold in front of you, thanks to our dedicated volunteers. Indeed, before the invention of modern washing machines, laundry in the villages of old certainly took some elbow grease. It was a time when the laundresses lathered, scrubbed, battered and wringed out clothing, all while being submerged in a flurry of lively conversation
ONE-TIME EVENT

Laundry at the washing place

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For a long time, weaving and knitting linen, wool and hemp was one of the most important activities in old rural life, carried out all over the year. Therefore, you can directly discover the successive stages of this trade in the Museum. Historical weaving looms, live production of pieces by volunteers or a thorough lesson in rural history: this workshop is a must-see during your visit.
PERMANENT WORKSHOP

Weaving, flax and hemp processing, knitting

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In this workshop, our volunteers will help you learn more about the maritime occupations that once existed in Finistère. Notably, this will be an opportunity for you to truly appreciate the harsh living conditions seafarers had to contend with at the time, as well as the numerous techniques they used to tie marine knots (such as splicing). Moreover, our volunteers will gladly talk you through the wealth of old tools kept at the museum (compasses, fog horns, anchors, navigation and fishing instruments…), as well as the many popular traditions that surrounded this unique way of life in centuries pas
PERMANENT WORKSHOP

Maritime occupations

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Hèlène Jussot welcomes you to her workshop, where all ages may discover the various techniques of mosaics. In her own words: 'I will be presenting the many different techniques used to make mosaics, as well as a thorough overview of this craft's history. During summer, I will create an exclusive mosaic showing how this ancestral art is still relevant today'. (Hèlène Jussot / (+33) 6 95 45 86 26 / Link to her workshop on FB)
ONE-TIME EVENT

Mosaics

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Bread dough

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Discover the clay sculpting methods used by our volunteers Joëlle and Isabelle, making pottery of many shapes and sizes
WEEKLY ANIMATION

Pottery

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ONE-TIME EVENT

Raku pottery

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In october during our Autumn/Fall Festival we cook plenty of tasty recipes based on pumpkin.
ONE-TIME EVENT

The Pumpkin

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ONE-TIME EVENT

Pressing apples

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In October, the museum is bathed in a flurry of warm colors and the sound of rustling leaves. So, feel free to come discover (or rediscover) the wealth of vegetables and fruits this season has to offer: pumpkins, ripe apples or roasted chestnuts and their unique flavor. This late-year treasure can be enjoyed in many forms, from cider and cakes to juices, doughnuts or creamy soups. And all of this in a festive atmosphere, of course.
ONE-TIME EVENT

Traditional apple and pumpkin-based recipes

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You can watch a demonstration of traditional headdress ironing, and discover the techniques used to prevent damage during the operations.
ONE-TIME EVENT

Headdress ironing

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Tales and puppet show

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ONE-TIME EVENT

Current artisanal weaving

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In the past, nothing was wasted on the farm, and especially not the sheep's wool. Used for a wide variety of purposes (from clothing to sheets and embroidery), you can now discover how this precious material was obtained from domestic animals of choice: sheep. An activity that is both fun and safe for our animals!
ONE-TIME EVENT

Sheep shearing

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Our volunteer will enthusiastically show you the extent of his woodturning expertise, and above all, the huge number of creations that can be obtained from a simple piece of wood being worked using this very special tool. He will also explain in detail the history of this object, which has been used for centuries by woodworkers of all kinds while remaining rather mysterious to the uninitiated
PERMANENT WORKSHOP

Woodturning

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Wool working: carding, spinning and knitting

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ONE-TIME EVENT

Knitting

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Feel free to start your visit of the museum by discovering our typical farmer's house: the ‘Ty Coz' (or ‘old house in Breton. There, our volunteers will get you acquainted with many traditional objects, such as crepe griddles fired using pine needles, a locally crafted enclosed bed, and a variety of butter moulds. They will also be delighted to help you learn more about the history of this type of dwelling, and how it has evolved throughout the centuries.
PERMANENT WORKSHOP

The “Ty Coz”, a traditional Breton farmhouse

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Alongside the pottery and beekeeping workshops, our museum benefits from another space dedicated to an ancestral skill: that of basketry. Ours volunteers at the museum will be delighted to share their knowledge of this little-known craft with you during your visit. To do so, they will start by explaining the history of the plants used (wicker, rye, straw, oats, etc.) in their craft, as well as the favored methods to prepare them (growth, harvest, storage, pre-treatment, etc.). They will then tell you about the many purposes these products served in the old Breton countryside, depending on their mobility (movable wickerwork or static straw/oatwork) and the use to which they were put by those who commissioned them (farm equipment, fishing traps, beehives, ‘bannettes', etc.). Discovering basketry will also be the perfect opportunity for you to immerse yourself in the ups and downs of farm life in the past, as well as in the ingenious solutions that were often found, such as the use of split bramble as a wire, or the weaving done by the children of each household to lighten their parents' workload. Interested in this heritage? Our volunteers regularly offer pieces of their own craft for sale, as well as a number of workshops for children and adults alike!
PERMANENT WORKSHOP

Basketry

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Conducted by one of our volunteers, this activity is the perfect opportunity for you to learn more about the religious heritage found in many small Breton villages, including in Argol, where our museum is located. While the local parish enclosure is mostly known for its 17th Century triumphal arch (completed in 1659) and its statue of King Gradlon, other unique elements are to be found throughout your visit, such as the belltower from 1585, the calvary from 1593, the ossuary from 1665 as well as religious frescoes and formerly painted statues within the chapel itself. An experience you can follow at no additional cost right next to the museum!
ONE-TIME EVENT

Visiting Argol's church and its traditional parish enclosure

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