La Musee de la Rue du temps qui passe is a museum of life in the early 1900s

Photo of La Musee de la Rue du temps qui passe

Visit La Musee de la Rue du temps qui passe

The Musée de la Rue du temps qui passe is a museum which recreates life back in the early 1900s in a time when electricity and running water were not available everywhere and cars and motorbikes were only just being seen on the streets.

The museum sits next to the river Dordogne on the edge of the pretty village of Allas les Mines in between Saint-Cyprien and Vezac.

Explore the Musée de la Rue du temps qui passe

The museum takes us back to life in the early 1900s by recreating a street of shops and workshops with displays of all the items we would have found in these shops at the start of the 20th century.

First stop is a cafe which is also a working bistro and so as well as admiring the recreated 1900s bistro you can have a pause and enjoy a cup of coffee and other items from the menu. From here walk down the 'steet' where you can see all sorts of different shops including a hair-dressers, a toy shop, a bakers, a cobblers, a post-office, a chemists and lots more.

Older visitors will find lots to jog their memories from items that were still around as they were growing up and younger visitors will be fascinated to be reminded how much has changed.

The museum is run by a father daughter team who had the idea because the father had been collecting old cars and bikes as well as other objects for years. Old car enthusiasts will be pleased to see a recreation of an old garage as well as a number of vintage cars. There is also an early Harley Davidson - a model that did not have brakes!

For your interest and amusement and particularly to interest families there is a game that you can play. Take a leaflet with a list of all the shops and for each one find the object in the shop which is an imposter as it does not belong to this early 1900s time period.

At various times of the year there are theatrical visits to the museums - though these are in French.

Musée de la Rue du temps qui passe visiting times

The museum is open from 1 April to 30 June and from 1 September to 11 November from 10.00-12.00 and 14.00-18.00 but closed Wednesdays and Thursdays. In July and August the museum is open every day from 10.00-18.00.

The musueum costs 7,50 euros for adults and 6 euros for 6-12 year olds.

The bistro both inside and the outside terrace are open to museum guests and to the general public.

Where to visit nearby?

The village of Allas les Mines is very small but very pretty and pleasant to walk around.

The Chateau les Milandes where Josephine Baker once lived is not far away. This chateau is very beautiful with lovely gardens.

The Chateau de Castelnaud is an imposing defensive castle and dominates the beautiful village of Castelnaud la Chapelle which is one of France's "most beautiful villages".