Maison de Pays en Bresse Ecomuseum

A place designed to take you on a journey

The Maison de Pays en Bresse is made up of five traditional buildings in the centre of the village of Saint-Etienne-du-Bois. You may think that this is not a very logical location. But you’d be mistaken. It gives visitors the opportunity to explore an atypical period in architecture. In Bresse, the buildings were designed to take people on a journey !

Getting there

Not a single nail in sight

The farm known as ‘Mangettes’ originally comes from the hamlet bearing the same name, but it was dismantled piece by piece and then built again, much like a very well-known construction game. The farms of Bresse don’t have any foundations and the wooden structure is simply a set of logs that have been cleverly assembled. A solid structure with no nails in sight!

If you’re feeling nostalgic or just want to learn about history

As you step over the threshold of this farm with ‘Saracen’ chimney you’ll be given a magic power. Enjoy it!

You’ll be stepping back into the era between the 15th and 19th centuries, and you won’t have aged a day.

It is particularly fascinating to see how the various living spaces have evolved over time. ‘Claison’ farm, a former service building, is presented using a series of themes. You’ll be passing from one style to another. You’ll enjoy trying to spot the collections of objects, each one telling the story of a specific period in history.

If you’re feeling nostalgic or just want to find out about history, you’re in the right place. A bistro atmosphere, a village grocery store, a classroom (with dunce cap), the clog maker’s workshop… it’s like being in a retro movie.

As an added bonus, there’s a mind-blowing collection of large-scale wicker objects.

The perfect ending to a one-of-a-kind experience

There is a very rare building here. Only two of them are still referenced in Bresse. A ‘carronnière’. This vast hall which was also rebuilt here, was once used for the manufacture of ‘carrons’ (big bricks) and then tiles. The other ‘carronière’ is in the village of Saint-Trivier-de-Courtes, 35 km north west of Saint-Etienne-du-Bois, near the Ferme de la Forêt.

Your adventure will end on a high note with a collection of farming machinery and a small forest with barefoot path. Do you fancy exploring this exceptional place? Come to the main reception which also happens to be in a magnificent traditional building, ‘LE x’. There are often workshops and tours organised.