The history museum
Understanding history
Inside the Château des Ducs de Bretagne is the Musée d’histoire de Nantes, which paints a portrait of a city, from its origins to the metropolis it is today. Its permanent collection is organized around major historical milestones, like the trans-Atlantic slave trade, the French Revolution, the industrial revolution, and both World Wars.
Internationally recognized as a museum of reference, it also hosts a vast collection of objects (including a copy of Louis XIV’s Code Noir) devoted to the trans-Atlantic slave trade and colonial slavery, as well as a programme of cultural events (exhibitions, symposiums, performances, etc.).
Visitors can discover – whether on their own, or on a guided tour – what role Nantes played in the colonial slave system, how slave-trade campaigns were organized, the major players involved in this trade, and the living conditions of the people forced into servitude on plantations.
This itinerary is also comprised of 14 informative panels that symbolically link the Memorial to the Musée d’histoire within the Château des Ducs de Bretagne.