Situated in the heart of a 600 km2 cereal plain where the first French cooperative silos were built in 1930, "The House of Corn and Bread" enjoys a prime position in Verdun sur le Doubs. Founded in 1974 by the initiative of the Group for the Historical Studies in the Verdun area, it was placed in 1981 under the scientific supervision of the Bresse Bourguignonne Ecomuseum and was opened by the Town Council as the "Museum of Corn and Bread" in 2002. This municipal museum is now supported by the "Friends'Circle of the House of Corn and Bread's".
The House of Corn and Bread was opened on a site where history and novelty have always been linked. The evolution of our bread-based civilisation is illustrated with numerous objects, tools, models as well as a contemporary display of furniture. Corn, the plant our civilisation is based on, and bread, that traditional food, are both major components of our history, and progress in the "corn-flour-bread" cycle has been tremendous.
The processes of cereal-growing milling and bakery have, and continue to make to this day fantastic progress. The agricultural civilisation in the "fertile crescent" region, stretching from the Nile to the Indus, was born in the "Neolithic age" when man began to organize himself, and was of crucial importance, marking the beginning of the improvement of farming knowledge and techniques.
Prior to that period - from 6000 BC onwards - man had lived from gathering fruits and plants and the hunting of animals. The postglacial warming of the Earth favoured the growth of wild cereal and new germination was discovered. Freed from the uncertainties of the hunt, human communities then migrated to new territories worldwide.
What is there to see in the house of corn and bread?
A collection of regional and traditional breads made by the bakers' apprentices from the Interprofessionnal Centre for Vocational Training in Mercurey.
Large agricultural machinery can be found in the barn of this beautiful home dating from the 18th century. Bread is prepared and baked in front of the visitors in the bakery (reservation is necessary).
Modern bakeries are organised differently but the knowledge of the craftsman is still dependent on the same processes and appreciation.
From the bakery, the lift brings you directly to the second floor for a journey through history: 70 centuries of harvesting and 40 centuries of bread-making are recounted through a colourful exhibition rendered particulary entertaining through the use of models of farming machines.
The first floor comprices the common areas of the house. A reconstructed kitchen and dining room are symbolocally reminiscent of bread and its major role in both family and social lives is evoked through many small objects and ustensils from everyday life.
Before entering the audiovisual room, where films on the corn-flour-bread cycle and bread-makingare shown, an enriching introduction th the history of maize concludes the visit. Maize was the basis of another civilisation and has had a crucial impact on the agricultural and economic progress in the Bresse!
Phone number: 03.85.91.57.09
The museum is open :
Every day from 3pm to 7pm between May 15th and September 30th.
Every days from 2pm to 6pm between October 1st and May 14th
