This museum is part of France’s national maritime museum: Musée National de la Marine. The main site is in Paris with smaller museums at what were the four important naval sites around France: Brest, Port-Louis, Toulon and Rochefort.

Here at the Musée de la Marine, see models boats, including the Dauphin Royal, an instructional model measuring 4.80 metres in length, as well as other naval memorabilia such as navigations instruments as well as art and sculpture.

The museum is housed in the 17th century Hotel de Cheusses, in what was once the Navy commander’s quarters, and one of the oldest buildings in Rochefort. Its permanent exhibition tells the story of the Rochefort naval port, explaining its history militarily, economically and socially.

The maritime museum started in the 18th century when Henri-Duhamel du Monceau, then Inspector-General of the French Navy, presented his collection of model ships and naval machinery to King Louis XV to help in the instruction of students of the newly-founded school of naval engineering and architecture. It is these that make up the basis of the current museum collection.

The maritime museum in Rochefort is best seen with the other big naval attractions in Rochefort – the building of the replica of the Hermione and the Corderie Royale.

Address and Contact Information
Musée national de la Marine
1 place de la Gallissonière, Rochefort

Tel: +33 5 46 99 86 57

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