Located in the oldest house of La Mure, the museum explains the history of Matheysine and its inhabitants, through exhibition of objects, maquettes and pictures.
In the heart of the old town there is the Maison Caral, home to the Musée Matheysin since 1994. La Mure’s museum houses collections relating to the Matheysine plateau, and the nearby Beaumont and Valbonnais areas. Archeology (prehistory, Roman Gaul and medieval periods) and the Wars of Religion (the Siege of La Mure in 1580) give way to rooms devoted to anthracite mining, peasant life, glove-makers and itinerant peddlers. These used to be the trademark activities of this mid-Alpine region. The last few rooms feature sculptors and painters of the region in the 19th and 20th centuries. Since 2012 part of the museum has displayed the work of abstract painter Claude Garanjoud (1926-2005). Exhibits also include the exhibition dedicated to Olivier Messiaen, a summer visitor to the Matheysine for more than 50 years. And each season the museum offers a new temporary exhibition.