Museums, arts and crafts

Must-see museums

Terra Volcana has the art of enchanting you with its incredible nature, but also with its cultural sites. Pushing open the doors of the museums in the Puy-de-Dôme is a promise of astonishment. Discovering works of art, witnesses to popular traditions or unusual private collections is a source of emotion. And so are the jewel cases that protect them. You won’t be insensitive to these private mansions and other castles that have become palaces of the muses, a must-see in Terra Volcana.

With the Terra Volcana Pass, you can visit the Marcel Sahut Museum, the two museums in Riom, the Gergovie Museum and our 3 company museums, Volvic O’rigine, Aventure Michelin and Asm Expérience.

Museums in Terra Volcana

Favourite The Mandet Museum in Riom

In the heart of Riom, the Hôtel Dufraysse welcomes you through a magnificent green door. Take the “Pas-sage”, a real work of art in itself. You’re now entering Riom’s fine arts scene: welcome to the Musée Mandet, one of Riom’s leading cultural venues!

As you cross the courtyard, you’ll see the Contemporary Design Department, the museum’s most recent addition, and its hundred or so unique pieces of silverware. A few steps later, the museum’s exhibits take you back through the centuries.

For this incredibly rich museum is said to have three lives. In 1969, the Richard donation enriched the collections with no fewer than 5,500 pieces of silverware from Antiquity to the eighteenth century. Ready for a journey through the arts?

Opening times and prices

Life in Auvergne The Auvergne Regional Museum

Let’s go back in time, shall we?
Just a stone’s throw from the Musée Mandet, in one of the narrow streets that make up the historic heart of Rion, the great wall of a private mansion opens onto the Musée régional d’Auvergne. It is a true testament to the everyday life of the people here and to rural life in the 19th century. 4000 objects tell the story of domestic life, work in the fields and skills (lace headdresses, wooden religious sculptures…).

Quite simply, it’s the largest ethnological collection in Auvergne. Jean-Paul Marcheschi’s “La Chapelle”, a monumental contemporary work, will leave you breathless.

Opening times and prices

Temporary exhibitions throughout the year

You can visit these collections all year round, with a range of options to suit all the family, and even without parents, just for the kids! And of course, don’t forget the temporary exhibitions that take place every year at Terra Volcana. Keep up to date with all the latest news from our museums on our blog and our social networks!

A unique collection The Sahut Museum in Volvic

You’re off in the direction of Volvic, where the Sahut Museum is said to occupy the rooms of an old castle… This is where the Château de Bosredon and its formal garden await you, with its many wonders. Room after room reveals the collections of the painter Marcel Sahut, a descendant of Volvic stone-cutters, but above all a real showcase of the trades of this volcanic stone like no other.

Let’s take a look at this unusual museum. First, its works: 100% local enamelled lava, nudes, portraits, rocky landscapes and still lifes. Then there are the motley artistic passions that Marcel Sahut donated to the town. Here you’ll find engravings by Foujita, watercolours by Rodin, prints, sculptures, Asian bronzes, African masks and an exceptional collection of drawings and paintings from the 19th and 20th centuries.

Not to be missed are the lithographs by Honoré Daumier. Marcel Sahut owned 850 of them!

Opening times and prices

Not just art! Museums of local companies and Auvergne history

Two company museums in the Terra Volcana region offer a fascinating insight into the industrial and natural history of Auvergne.

At L’Aventure Michelin, in Clermont-Ferrand, discover a 2,000 m² scenographic tour paying tribute to the history of the Michelin group: from the first removable tyres to today’s mobility innovations, not forgetting the famous maps, guidebooks and the emblematic Michelin Man.
Make the most of your visit to Clermont-Ferrand to discover theASM Expérience, a museum dedicated to our internationally renowned local rugby team.
At Volvic O’rigines, located in the heart of the Parc de la Source Volvic, an immersive educational trail guides you from the infiltration of the drop of water into the volcanic rocks to its bottling, with projections, animations, virtual reality and even tastings.
The Musée Archéologique de la Bataille de Gergovie, perched on the Gergovie plateau, offers a captivating insight into the Gallic War between Vercingetorix and Julius Caesar.

These four museums, included in the Terra Volcana Pass, are a must-see if you want to understand the close links between the region’s volcanic and historical heritage, Auvergne rugby and the industrial know-how that shapes the region.

Nuggets Local craftsmen

Unique expertise

In the heart of the Puy-de-Dôme region, Terra Volcana is a veritable wellspring of craft traditions, where volcanic heritage meets the creativity of men and women who are passionate about their craft. This region, rich in history and natural resources, offers a wealth of unique skills that bear witness to the excellence and authenticity of local craftsmanship.

Volvic stone, which comes from the region’s volcanoes, is at the heart of many of these crafts. This light, porous rock is used by stone-cutters and sculptors to create works of great finesse. Lava enamellers, meanwhile, sublimate the material by applying coloured enamels, creating unique pieces that combine tradition and modernity.

But Terra Volcana craftsmanship is not limited to stone. Craftsmen working in leather, wood, textiles, ceramics, glass, cutlery and jewellery perpetuate age-old skills, often handed down from generation to generation. Each piece is the fruit of meticulous work, a passion for the material and a deep respect for tradition.

Discover all our local craftsmen

To find out more Other must-sees

Castles, abbeys, churches

Riom, Land of art and history

Towns and villages of character