Camembert Museum (Musée du Camembert)
About Camembert Museum (Musée du Camembert)
The Camembert Museum in Vimoutiers celebrates the history of France's most famous cheese, created here in 1791 by Marie Harel. The museum displays the complete production process from milk collection to ripening, featuring a reconstructed traditional dairy farm and archive footage from 1929. Visitors can view nearly 3,000 Camembert box labels from a collection of 10,000, making it one of the largest label collections in existence. An 8-minute film narrated by Marie Harel's avatar explains the origins of this AOP-protected cheese. The on-site shop offers tastings of authentic Camembert with local cider. Open seasonally from late March to early November, with reduced hours in spring and autumn (afternoons only). The museum is wheelchair accessible and welcomes pets.
Interesting Facts
A statue of Marie Harel in Vimoutiers was decapitated during American bombing on June 14, 1944. The head was found intact and placed at her feet, but later disappeared. Workers from an Ohio cheese factory helped fund a replacement statue, donated by the Pilot Club International.
During World War I, Camembert became a symbol of French resistance when large quantities were sent to boost troop morale on the Western Front. The cheese's round wooden box was practical for transport, and soldiers associated the taste with home and national identity.
Marie Harel's technique, taught by a fugitive priest from Brie during the French Revolution in 1791, involved forming the curd without breaking it first, using a ladle called a 'pochon'. The slow drainage process takes over 48 hours, creating Camembert's distinctive creamy texture.
Planning Your Visit
Opening Hours
Ticket Prices
Museum Entry
RecommendedLocation & Practical Info
Address
10, avenue du Général de Gaulle, 61120 Vimoutiers, France
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