The Museum is exceptionnaly closed from the 7th to the 20th january 2019 for repairs
On the Pont du Gard site, France's largest interpretation centre on Roman building genius tells the story of the Roman aqueduct. Models, virtual reconstructions, multimedia screens and soundscapes will accompany you on the discovery of the Ancient Roman world.
A museum at the crossroads of history and technology
When you gaze at the Pont du Gard for the first time, the legacy of its four thousand year history hits you. Then, just a few short steps away down on the left bank, stands its museum. Enjoy a trip through the ages in this vast area that boasts life-sized reconstructions and virtual surroundings. Take a journey through time along the waterway and dive into the heart of the Ancient Roman world.
A modern and dynamic display
Moulded in the image of the great Via Domitia, this themed journey plunges you into a another era with multimedia displays that trace a line through the past. Images, sounds and artefacts provide evidence essential to reconstructing the exceptional history of the Pont du Gard.
Dive into the past. Throughout your visit, you can access all the information required to conduct your own investigation into the site in your own time. From a simple one hour walk to a half-day total immersion, feel free to enjoy the museum in your own way! Each area focuses on a specific part of the special history of this monument, which is classified as one of the most beautiful from Ancient Roman times.
Enjoy a tour…
Une vue du musée (Yann de Fareins)
Day-to-day life in a Gallo-Roman town… the importance of water
Throughout the museum, multimedia technology accurately recreates images from the past. A multi-screen show, themed around water, immerses us in the history of the town of Nîmes. Past and present merge as we discover the part that water plays through scenes from daily life. Film, background audio and illustrations of the town in both ancient and modern times all play a part.
Providing over 30,000 m³ of water each day, this Roman town could supply its population with baths, public fountains and other aquatic features. These are shown in several vivid reproductions. Don’t miss the most impressive: a model of a magnificent 500m² domus. Here you will be able to observe gardens, baths and taps that were already functioning using pressurized running water.
The aqueduct… a monumental bridge linking Nîmes to Uzès
Discover the building of this authentic masterpiece of art and engineering
Transporting water across the Roman Empire
A huge illuminated map gives you a guide to the principal aqueducts in the Roman empire.
The construction site – as if you were there
Life-sized reconstructions of the Pont du Gard’s quarries, its canal and two of the arches on its third level, show how a combination of planning, ingenuity and technical skill went into the construction of the site. This gives a truly spectacular insight into the process.
Nîmes aqueduct
Overlooking the exhibition is a giant screen showing the path taken by the channelled water. Filmed from low down, this documentary follows the flow of water along the aqueduct from its source all the way to the water tower.
Le Musée du Pont du Gard (Yann de Fareins)
Pont du Gard through the ages …Pictures and representations
A modern history of the Pont du Gard…. or a new life for the aqueduct
- In the research gallery, scientists and historians from the past and the present compare their observations.
- Over in the engineers gallery,quarrels about old and new techniques arise during the 19th-century debate on the restoration of Nîmes’ Roman canal.
- In the heart of the architects gallery, view a panorama displaying the various repairs and restorations of the Pont du Gard from the Middle Ages through to modern day France.
