Musee Chez Manuel

The museum of Manuel is hard to miss from the outside because the plane that landed on its roof really sets the tone. Once you enter past the (slightly loud) buzzer, a happy and proud Manuel is there to give you a warm welcome.

“Three halls,” he says in a modest way. Once inside you’ll turn around and realize your head contains too few eyes to absorb the place in one look. It’s beautifully stuffed, arranged by themes and one can see how many years of collecting have gone into this. Past these three halls, the museum expands outside when you go around the corner only to let your jaw drop once again by realizing the museum doubles or even triples size here, just as packed with finds and treasures by Manuel as all the other halls.

Open since 1977, the Musée chez Manuel displays all the finds of this tireless traveler-collector in over 2,000 square meters of exhibition space. Manuel Ribeiro, founder of the museum: “I crossed France as a traveling salesman. One day a farmer gave me a trolley lamp. And I caught the collecting virus.”

On the flyer of the museum (also called Musee d’Art Populaire) it says it shows automobiles, bicycles, motorcycles, pedal cars, old toys and unusual objects. That last term fits best, for this museum is filled with passion and dedication, leaning towards obsession in the best way possible.