- 04 50 52 47 11
- musee@paccard.fr
The PACCARD Museum
An history of the Museum of Bells
In 1984, open days were organized at the Paccard Bell Foundry in Annecy le Vieux (French Alps), during which interest of people for the art of campanology was noticeable. Therefore Mr. Pierre Paccard and his wife, Mrs Françoise Paccard decided to create a museum dedicated to bells in general with a more specific approach dealing with the PACCARD Foundry, the plant of which was still located in Annecy le Vieux at that time.
In 1989, the Museum of bells was moved to a place named Sevrier on Annecy lake shore. There, you can see an amazingly interesting exhibition of tools, documents, engravings, photos and bells, treating of the history of the Bell with a capital B, along with the history of the PACCARD Foundry. You are also invited to watch three documentary films, about Twenty minutes each, (“the World Peace Bell”, “Mastering the fire”, “Bronze figures”), and learn everything about the making of a bell. You’ll be particularly thrilled to see castings of monumental bells.
Museum is nowadays managed by Mrs Anne Paccard, whose father-in-law and husband are both bell makers. It was renamed PACCARD Museum in 2004 and is definitely like no other museum. You can choose among a number of visits and activities: museum and foundry guided tours, bell castings, school days, seminars, team building…
Reassuringly paying a tribute to our past, PACCARD Museum is reflecting the future of the bell makers work as well, especially thanks to new technologies used at the PACCARD Bell Foundry.
Indeed, since June 2005, the museum team is proudly exhibiting its Ars Sonora. What is it? This is the result of an eponymous town planning concept developed by the PACCARD group, establishing a link between the musical sound of the bells and the architectural design. Thanks to this Ars Sonora, voice & bells concerts can be organized all over the year along with musical demonstrations, now being part most of the guided tours taking place, thus adding an even more sensitive touch to the soul of the museum.
In 2019 large scale works were initiated, aiming at offering improved visit and convivial spaces to visitors :
-
Creation of a little café: “Au PACCARD gourmand…”
- Concert room when one can discover the Ars Sonora and appreciate the growing success of the “songs & carillon” concerts.
- Concert room can be changed into a seminar room with all the tools you might need for your meetings, lectures or team building.
- A shop with dedicated items, and to make things even easier you can order and buy on our on-line store
