Musée archéologique du lac de Paladru – MALP

Lake Paladru is much more than just crystal-clear waters with tropical hues, ideal for water sports and/or swimming. It's a story in itself!
A submerged past… underwater archaeologists… recovered artifacts… a dugout canoe museum as a showcase… From below to above, these are the stories revealed for a major site of underwater archaeology…

Long ago, the shores of the lake were already popular places to live! As early as 2700 BC, people settled there, creating the Neolithic village of Les Baigneurs. Later, during the medieval period, the knights of the year 1000 built a fortified settlement on the Colletière site.

Located on the banks, these villages were often flooded by the fluctuating water levels of the lake. Many objects were thus submerged and hidden at the bottom, some for nearly 5,000 years.

For over 40 years, underwater excavations have been carried out at the Baigneurs and Colletière sites. They have yielded rare, remarkably well-preserved objects.
by the waters. Their condition, as well as the techniques used, make Lake Paladru a reference site for underwater archaeology and for understanding these two periods
major historical events.

What if there was a sunken city?!
The legend of Ars tells of this vast medieval city, located on the shores of the lake, which was swallowed up by the sea. To consolidate their power over the people, the Carthusian monks of the Sylve monastery even made it the city of all evils of immorality – perdition, impiety, pride… Ars was thus said to have been “burned and then swept into the lake, by the effect of divine wrath”… So, myth or reality?

For the Christmas holidays, from 20/12/25 to 4/01/26, the museum is open from Tuesday to Sunday from 10am to 12:30pm and from 14pm to 17pm.

Annual closures: January 1st, May 1st and December 25th. Exceptional closure from January 5th to 30th, 2026.

Winter period – November to March: open Tuesday to Sunday, from 10am to 12:30pm and from 14pm to 17pm

Summer period:
– April to October: Tuesday to Sunday – 10am to 12:30pm and 14pm to 18pm
– July, August: Tuesday to Sunday from 10am to 18pm continuously.

Full price: €5 (Combined ticket for both museums – MALP and Mainssieux museum)
Reduced price: €2 (children aged 10 to 18, recipients of social minima, students, disabled people, job seekers).
Free for under 10 years.

Free admission, for all, the 1st Sunday of the month.
Groups, contact us.