Journées européennes du patrimoine

To mark European Heritage Days, we invite you to discover the 2026–2027 programme celebrating the bicentenary of the invention of photography. This weekend also offers the chance to meet passionate professionals and discuss their expertise, to try your hand at cyanotype printing, and to enjoy collections that are usually kept in the storerooms. BICENTENARY OF THE INVENTION OF PHOTOGRAPHY To ensure you don’t miss any of the highlights of the Bicentenary of Photography, discover the programme of events organised in Chalon-sur-Saône from September 2026 to September 2027: exhibitions, workshops, studios and festive events. The European Heritage Days will provide an opportunity to launch the national collection of photographs for the Conserverie de Metz in Chalon, a project the museum is supporting by helping you digitise your photos. The results of this major collection drive will be exhibited at the museum to mark the end of the Bicentenary. Make the most of the weekend to discover the new Bicentenary edition of ‘Photo Poche’, dedicated to Nicéphore Niépce, in the museum shop. Saturday and Sunday between 2 pm and 6 pm EXHIBITIONS -ARIÈLE BONZON, INFINITIF REPRISER LE TEMPS The exhibition juxtaposes photographs from Arièle Bonzon’s {Intérieur} series – views of places, suspended in an(un)defined time, empty of presence yet filled with absence, traversed by signs that point to the passage of unknown lives, with photographs selected by her from the Nicéphore Niépce Museum’s collection. Links, sometimes obscure and muted, are forged between the photographs. -ALEIX PLADEMUNT, MATTER Matter – the material – derives its origin from ‘mater’, ‘the mother’, the source from which everything unfolds. Aleix Plademunt’s work reveals the insatiable curiosity of an artist who trained as an engineer. By collaborating with scientific teams from over 15 countries, the photographer has, over the course of a decade, assembled a body of work exploring our world and its contradictions. Spanning the personal, the political, ecology, and scientific and technical progress, his photography reveals both beauty and violence. Saturday and Sunday 10.00 am to 7.00 pm TALKS ON HELIOGRAPHY In 1826, Nicéphore Niépce named his invention ‘heliography’. Meet the photographers FLORE and Marie Moroni. They will explain the principles of heliogravure and its contemporary applications through a presentation of works created using this process. A unique opportunity to discover an artisanal craft that bridges the gap between the origins of photography and today’s artistic creation. Sunday between 2.00 pm and 6.00 pm (duration: 20 mins) MEET THE MUSEUM’S EXPERTS -VIEWING OF ORIGINALS SPECIALLY BROUGHT OUT FROM THE STORKS To mark this 43rd edition of European Heritage Days, dedicated to the theme ‘Photographic Heritage’, discover photographs and cameras exceptionally brought out from the archives. From the invention of photography in 1827 by Nicéphore Niépce to the latest advances, the museum preserves the key milestones in its history. Explore innovative processes – some of which are little-known and surprising – that paved the way for today’s imaging technologies. Saturday and Sunday between 2.00 pm and 6.00 pm -SPEED TOUR: ‘NICÉPHORE NIÉPCE AND THE PERSPECTIVE OF REALITY’ These quick tours reveal the stages of Nicéphore Niépce’s research that led him to the invention of photography. In 1816, at the age of 51, Nicéphore Niépce (1765–1833) finally put into practice his ideas that it should be possible to record light. He then began experimenting with what would become heliography, the first photographic process and the forerunner of modern technologies enabling images of reality to be recorded and printed. In 1824, Nicéphore Niépce achieved decisive results: ‘views of reality’ on lithographic stone, which have since been lost. In 1826, he abandoned the stone substrate in favour of metal, as its reflective properties seemed to him conducive to producing clearly defined images, and he named his invention ‘Heliography’. Saturday between 2 pm and 6 pm (duration: 20 mins) DIGITISING NEGATIVES Since the early days of analogue photography, the process has been governed by a single principle: the camera produces a negative image (with tones and colours reversed compared to reality) and this negative is used to produce the final positive image, through printing, in the photographer’s darkroom. Photographic negatives are fragile documents, and their preservation and promotion now rely on digitisation. This not only helps to preserve the originals, but also makes it easier to view and study them, as well as to produce digital prints. Tailored to the specific characteristics of these materials, the digitisation of negatives requires specialised equipment and expertise. Come and discover the different stages of the process with the technicians from the museum’s laboratory. Sunday 2.00 pm, 2.45 pm, 3.30 pm, 4.15 pm or 5.00 pm (duration: 30 mins Limited to 8 people SALE OF PHOTOGRAPHIC PRINTS Members of the Friends of the Nicéphore Niépce Museum are holding a sale of photographic prints, reproductions of works from the Nicéphore Niépce Museum’s collections. It’s a great way to treat yourself whilst supporting the work of the association, whose aim is to assist the museum in its various initiatives. Saturday and Sunday between 2.00 pm and 6.30 pm FAMILY ACTIVITIES TRY YOUR HAND AT CYANOTYPY In 1842, the Englishman John Frederick William Herschel (1792–1871) developed a photographic printing process that produced bluish images: the cyanotype. Now it’s your turn to try out this technique by creating a contact print and a photogram, then discover the image that emerges after exposure to sunlight. Your creation will be based on photographic negatives from the museum’s collections, centred on the theme of plants. The chosen images can be combined with leaves, flowers and plants selected for their shapes and textures to create a unique piece of work. Saturday and Sunday 2.00 pm, 3.30 pm and 5.00 pm Duration: 1 hour (Workshop may be rescheduled in the event of bad weather or low light)