Grimaldi Castle Museum

Due to the dismantling of the exhibition “Notes interdites” by Gérard Taride and the installation of the new exhibition “Itinérances” by artist DomiH, the Château-Musée Grimaldi will close its doors from Wednesday November 6 to Friday November 29, 2024 inclusive. Reopening Saturday November 30, 2024 at 10 a.m.

More info

Presentation

Contact details

Haut-de-Cagnes – place du Château
06800 Cagnes-sur-Mer

Contact: +33 (0)4 92 02 47 35 – chateau@cagnes.fr

Schedules

July and August: 10am-1pm // 2-6pm.
September, April, May and June: 10am-12pm // 2-6pm.
October to March: 10am-12pm // 2-5pm.
Closed Tuesdays and on 25/12 and 01/01.

Rates

Adults: €4.
Under 26s, Cagnois and 1st Sunday of the month: free.
Double ticket (applicable to those wishing to visit the Château-Musée and Musée Renoir on the same day): €8.

Intérieur du château musée Grimaldi - Haut-de-Cagnes

Access

Freeway A8 + Exits 47/48 CAGNES-SUR-MER + Direction Centre-Ville.
Limited free parking on site.

Smart: to avoid parking problems, take the free shuttle bus no. 44 from the downtown bus station to Haut-de-Cagnes every 15 minutes 7 days a week from 7 a.m. to 12:30 a.m. (free parking nearby)
Download the route and times of shuttle bus no. 44.

The jewel of the medieval village

Built around 1300 by Rainier Grimaldi, Lord of Cagnes, this castle will withstand sieges and assaults before being transformed around 1620 by Baron Jean-Henri Grimaldi into a seigneurial residence combining the charm and wealth of a palace.

Acquired by the city in 1937, it became a municipal museum in 1946 and was classified as a historical monument in 1948. Today it is a wonderful setting that houses the Musée de l’Olivier, the Solidor Donation and exceptional baroque painted ceilings.

The Château-Musée Grimaldi also hosts temporary exhibitions of contemporary art, as well as numerous concerts.

The Olive Tree Museum

The Musée de l’Olivier presents a particularly extensive collection on this Mediterranean emblem and its traditions.

The Solidor Donation

Exhibition of 40 portraits of the famous cabaret singer, Suzy Solidor, painted by famous artists: Foujita, Kisling, Laurencin, Lempicka, Picabia, Van Dongen…

Download the brochure

Musée de l'olivier - château musée Grimaldi
Museum of the Olive Tree
Donation Solidor - château musée Grimaldi
Solidor Donation

History

The fortress of the Grimaldi family

The original design of this fortress, built around 1300 by Rainier Grimaldi, Seigneur de Cagnes and Admiral of France, was intended solely for watch and defense.
For two centuries, the château withstood sieges and assaults before being transformed around 1620 by Baron Jean-Henri Grimaldi into a stately home combining the comfort and wealth of a palace.
It is from this period that the transformations visible from the outside date: the monumental double-flight staircase, the monumental marble-framed door surmounted by a balcony of honor, and the large windows that have replaced the archways.

Acquired by the city in 1937, it became a municipal museum in 1946 and was classified as a historical monument in 1948. Today, it serves as a sumptuous setting for the collections of the Musée de l’Olivier, the Solidor Donation and numerous temporary exhibitions of contemporary art.

Illustration ancienne du château Grimaldi - Haut de Cagnes
Photo ancienne de l'extérieur du château Grimaldi

The remains of the ramparts

The medieval village, strategically perched at the top of the rocky spur of the hill, occupies a natural defensive position overlooking the plain and the Bay of Angels from Cap Ferrat to Cap d’Antibes.

These defensive walls, of rather rough construction, had resistance only thanks to their massive thickness of 3 m on average at the base and 1 m at the top. They enclosed the town in a horseshoe shape with uneven branches, which followed the uneven terrain.

These ramparts bear witness to the eventful past of a coveted border zone, since the nearby Var River was for a very long time, from 1388 to 1860, the natural border between the County of Provence and the country of Nice, i.e. between the Kingdom of France and the States of the House of Savoy (now Italy).

The inhabitants then used the collapsed walls as a stone quarry and reused the materials to build their houses on the site of the ramparts that were no longer needed. They drilled doors and windows into the remaining wall sections, which they integrated into their barns and houses.

Guided tour

The jewel of the medieval village

Built around 1300 by Rainier Grimaldi, Lord of Cagnes and Admiral of France, this fortress will withstand sieges and assaults before being transformed around 1620 by Jean-Henri Grimaldi into a seigneurial residence combining the charm and wealth of a palace.

Acquired by the city in 1937, it became a municipal museum in 1946 and then a historical monument in 1948. Today it is a wonderful setting that houses the ethnographic museum of the Olive Tree, the Solidor donation (40 portraits of Suzy Solidor painted by illustrious artists such as Cocteau, Dufy, Foujita, Lempicka, Laurencin, Picabia, Van Dongen…), and exceptional baroque painted ceilings.

The Château-Musée Grimaldi also hosts temporary exhibitions of contemporary art in a harmonious setting adorned with bright, typically Italian colors and decorated with marble, sculptures and trompe l’oeil.

Guided tours of the Grimaldi Castle-Museum

October to May: Wednesdays and Sundays at 11 a.m.
June to September (summer season): Wednesdays, Saturdays and Sundays at 11 a.m.

Meet at the entrance of the Grimaldi Castle-Museum.

Tours of the medieval village of Haut-de-Cagnes
Every 1st Sunday of the month during the “Haut-de-Cagnes Art en fête” event.

Reservations required on the following days: Fridays May 3 & 17, Fridays June 14 & 21, Thursdays September 19 & 26 and Thursdays October 10 & 17. Reservations required at reservations.musees@cagnes.fr minimum 2 people.

For cancellations, please notify the museum at least 48 hours in advance at the same e-mail address, giving your number and name.
Price of the guided tour: 3 € (+ 4 € for an entrance to the museum).

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