Museum of the Troupes de Marine in Fréjus
The history of the Troupes Coloniales et de Marine, from Richelieu to the present day. It is illustrated by collections, archives and iconographic documents.
The museum
It retraces thelong history of colonial and naval troops over 4 centuries, from 1622 under Cardinal de RICHELIEU, minister to King Louis XIII, to the present day, illustrated by a wide range of artefacts, archives, maps and iconographic documents. The Musée des Troupes de Marine is fundamentally a museum of history, art and military traditions, but also of human adventure, aimed at both the general public and the military public. The museum's collections include uniforms, weapons, headgear, insignia, decorations, posters, drawings, paintings, photographic documents, archives and memorabilia of famous and less famous people.
It is also a memorial. The museum's crypt is a place of meditation and tribute to the memory of the soldiers of the Colonial Army and Navy who died for France.
The major pieces
The museum's collections have grown considerably since it opened, thanks to donations from private individuals and the Association of Friends of the Museum of Marine Troops. A number of major items are worthy of special mention: a gunpowder flask from the Marine regiment created by Cardinal de RICHELIEU, a Senegalese rifle model 1861, the cockerel from the Bazeilles church salvaged after the building was destroyed during the fighting in August 1870, a Lefebvre carriage belonging to General Gallieni when he was governor of Madagascar, general Gallieni's office in Tonkin in 1895,the relics of the French flag that flew at Fachoda in 1898 and was brought back to France by Commandant Marchand, the uniform and many other objects of General Mangin, author of La Force Noire in 1910, and many others.
The history of the museum
The museum is first and foremost a collection assembled on the initiative of General de Lattre de Tassigny. In March 1945, he ordered the colonial troops to create a museum to collect and preserve collections illustrating the memory, in particular, of the native troops who played an important role in the liberation of France.
After many moves, in 1978 the General Chief of Staff of the French Army decided to create a real museum in Fréjus, to present the heritage collections of the naval troops. Built in 1979, the new museum was inaugurated on 2 October 1981.
The Troupes de Marine museum is one of the 17 museums of the French Army. It was awarded the "Musée de France" label in 2006.
The museum and its surroundings
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