Mons Museum Moved

[Paul Reed]

Some of you may already know this, but I discovered last week the Mons museum has moved from it's former site at the rear of the Town Hall to a new building in Rue Houdain. This is about 5 mins walk from the main square. I must say it is a shadow of its former self, with very little on display - although the building it is in is wonderful (from an architectual point of view).

It is open Monday to Saturday 12.00 - 18.00 and on Sunday 10.00-12.00 and 14.00 - 18.00. Entrance is 1.25 euros; less for groups.

Below is a photo of the main entrance.

For more details see the Mons website:

http://www.mons.be/mons.asp?GUID={EB5E35BF...5-0002A58CB319}

[nshighlander]

Hi Paul.

The last time I was there they had a small rooms with all the drums.Do they still have them?I wanted a picture but my camera was lifted .Does anyone have a copy?

Cheers

Dave

[Paul Reed]

They have a few, but no-where near what was there before. My questions about where it all was drew vague answers, even with fluent French.

[ArmyOfficer]

I remember going there about 15 yrs ago and spending hours there. It was one of the last really big "old" museums. There were things everywhere. Now, no doubt, its been sanitised: relics and uniforms out of sight to be replaced with interpretive panels and commentary.

Hope someone could be held responsible to account for all that is no longer on display; wonder if the collection was still owned by private collectors or if they had ceded it all to the City of Mons?

[ianw]

One would hope that the former exhibits are in store but this is not the way things tend to happen since space is often at a premium and lack of it often drives such consolidations and changes in the first place. Obviously some very valuable items concerned here.

Sad that such an apparently negative change should occur just in time for the 90th Anniversary.

[Paul Reed]

In fairness, I would say the Tourist Office were a little unsure about the future of the museum - they thought the items 'might' be in store, ready for display somewhere else. But when and where they did not know.

No 'In Flanders Fields'-style museum is planned, to my knowledge.

I also asked about the 90th anniversary; at first some blank looks ("is it?") and then a senior official told me something is planned with Sefton in the UK who are twinned with Mons. I was promised more details - will post them when I get them.

[ianw]

I think Mons will miss a trick if it doesn't get its act together in time for the 90th Anniversary - perhaps they are focussing on the Centenary - probably a more sensible lead time for any local government organisation planning to do anything !

I presume from Paul's "shadow of its former self" description that its similar to its old character but with a lot less displays. I tend to agree with AO that if it is brought up to date during the run up to 2014, it will most likely be in the minimalist, plasma screen , interpretative modern manner. However, we should wait to see.

It will be interesting to see how the next few years sees developments at Talbot House, the Thiepval Centre and now here at Mons. Did Orwell say in "1984" something along the lines of "He who controls the Past controls the Future" ?

[Geoff Parker]

The Museum relocated from the town hall some 3 to 4 years ago, and I read

at the time there was some concerns raised over what was going to become

of the exhibits and as one stage if was though that the museum was going to

close entirely.

The opinion at the time was that as many of the exhibits had been provided by

the regiments participating the Battle of Mons during the 20's, they should be

returned to the UK rather than being sold off. Obviously must of those regiments

have now disappeared so quite how they could have been returned I dont know.

Geoff

[nshighlander]

That place had one of the biggest and best drum displays I have ever seen.The best thing they were all Highland Reg .I hope they haven`t walked out the back door.I would love to go back,one day I hope.

Cheers

Dave

[ianw]

Certainly improper to sell such a collection whether at auction or , even worse, by some less transparent method. Items could be offered to the National Army Museum or the IWM . I am sure they would be appreciated

[Dikke Bertha]

Hello

I haven't seen the Mons Museum but Army Officer above made an interesting comment about sanitising and interpretive panels.

The Royal Museum of the Army and Military History in Brussels closed down its old WWI section some years ago and when they re-opened evetually a lot of the exhibits had gone. There is never anyone there to ask. I gave up writing to them some years ago. The new section is still attractively untidy and very interesting but it is a shame that a lot of the stuff is gone. They are doing the same with the WW2 section now.

Other sanitised museums include Peronne and the Caverne des Dragons on the Chemin des Dames.

The best WWI museum I was ever in is the one in Verdun. Another excellent but small one is outside the village of Haelen in Belgium.

Regards

Dikke

[Guest Jed B.W. Johns I]

No you can't, thue Museum of Fort vermilion is amazing it has every thing you could ever want from world war one and two and my father is the one who runs it, I get all this free things but I fell that the things he gives me should stay, what you guys think?

[paul guthrie]

I don't get the bit about the Historial at Peronne being sanitized, it's just like it has been all along, a modern museum. Maybe there was a prior one I don't know about.

[Paul Reed]

No, you are right Paul. The Historial is as it always has been - a modern museum. We should expect nothing different from it, whether we like it or not.

[Somme1916]

The Historial at Peronne maybe modern in style but it affords a nice up close view of the artifacts. I must say I like it.

I wish I'd seen both the old Mons Museum and the old Museum in Ypres before the changes. Based on everyone’s comments I get the feeling they were held in high esteem and were very well stocked with outstanding exhibits.

Hopefully an answer can be found about the missing artifacts from Mons. I must say based on my general observations after living there for three years; I fear the worst.

Cheers,

Jon

[paul guthrie]

I like the historial also Jon, dod not realy like IFF but feel it's not for the likes of us, quite good I think though for many. At the Historial you can see the artifacts very well, great maps for those with an interest but not expertise, and the art by Otto Dix is great. I never saw the old museum in Ieper, conversion was in place during 1st visit in 97.

[Somme1916]

... do not realy like IFF but feel it's not for the likes of us,...

Paul,

Your right, it's not for the likes of you or I but it has some redeeming qualities (my favorite is the gas mask display area when the poems are read). So as not to stray from the thread topic I’ll let other feelings lie on IFF.

To the benefit of the Mons Museum it was the first place I ever saw the GE SMG that the Storm Troopers used in 1918. A very nice piece! I also liked much about the Museum itself but thought it could have used more exhibits. This was in 2002 and well after the move.

Jon

[Dikke Bertha]

Hello

I am sorry I did not mean that the museums at Peronne and Chemin des Dames (Caverne des Dragons) had been transformed. I just think that both are very clinically clean and lack the interesting athmosphere to be found in some older museums.

I visited Notre Dame de Lorette last year and they have a lovely museum on site. It is full of clutter and "ambience". Both Peronne and Caverne des Dragons lack these qualities. That is what I meant by sanitised.

Is there somewhere on this forum where museums could be listed and commented on??

[Somme1916]

I am sorry I did not mean that the museums at Peronne ... had been transformed. I just think that both are very clinically clean and lack the interesting athmosphere to be found in some older museums.

Dikke,

Tracking now. I also agree that it is very clinically clean. It does seem more like an art gallery than a museum about the Great War.

Jon

[Somme1916]

Is there somewhere on this forum where museums could be listed and commented on??

I think it would fit nicely under the Battles, battlefields and places on the Forum but or would this go better on the Long Long Trail web page? Also would there be space for it? Chris do you think there is enough interest and thread traffic to warrant the addition of a Museums area?

[paul guthrie]

Jon, Bertha, I bet both of you have been to the Hooge Museum, the German field cooker is the kind of thing for our ilk! In the Vosges, St Amarin maybe, there's amuseum with a lovely prewar boundary marker, German and a US horse gas mask! Woo. We have all seen pictures but 1st I have actually seen.

[Muerrisch]

If memory serves me, the Mons Museum was not in the town hall c. 1980, but crammed into a small couple of rooms in the main drag/square and OVERWHELMING with drums, artefacts, badges etc. More than any other single source, it inspired 25 years of my obsession and study. The power of such ['old-fashioned'] museums to touch and inspire just by their presence cannot be over-estimated. I came away that day dumbfounded.

Modern touchy-feely displays such as Peronne and Cloth Hall are designed to appeal to a generation with an attention span of a gnat ...... they come away with a few pieces of conventional wisdom about Haig, SaD, Lions led by Donkeys, and next day it will be somewhere or something else.

Got a bit carried away there.

[Paul Reed]

If memory serves me, the Mons Museum was not in the town hall c. 1980, but crammed into a small couple of rooms in the main drag/square

I think you will find it was in a building belonging to the council at the rear of the town hall, quite close to the main square. The interior of this building matches photographs in publications like Twenty Years After etc. But I could be wrong!

[Somme1916]

Jon, Bertha, I bet both of you have been to the Hooge Museum, the German field cooker is the kind of thing for our ilk! In the Vosges, St Amarin maybe, there's amuseum with a lovely prewar boundary marker, German and a US horse gas mask! Woo. We have all seen pictures but 1st I have actually seen.

Ahh! Hooge. I remember it foundly.

[Dikke Bertha]

Paul, Somme

Yes I have visited the Hooge Crater museum and agree that it is one of the best especially for atmosphere. I forget the name of the museum where the trenches are still preserved in the Ypres salient as it was some years ago but I thought that was excellent as were the tunnels in Albert and Fort Pompelle(?). All of these places have an excellent atmosphere which modern museums seem to go out of their way to avoid.

I was driving towards St. Quentin when I saw an advertisement fr the WWI museum in a small village called Essigny le Grand. It was in a pub/restaurant and was excellent. The owner was quite chatty and showed me his workshop where he restored the exhibits himself. On the way out I noticed some framed newspapers which were obviously modern. He explained that there were 6 guys in a group and that WWI battlefield hunting was their hobby. Five of them had been killed in separate accidents involving WWI ammunition. He was the only one left.

Sobering stuff I thought.

Somme - any response to your suggestion for a museums area??

Regards