The Promenade Museum Discover the Unesco Geopark

The Haute-Provence Geopark

The Haute-Provence Geopark is a nature park located in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region of south-eastern France. It was created in 2015 and covers an area of over 1,800 km².
 
The Haute-Provence Geopark was created to protect and enhance the geological wealth of the region. Composed of varied landscapes, exploring the Geopark means climbing mountains, traversing plains, walking up gorges carved out over millions of years by rivers and strolling across plateaux. The remarkable geological formations of the region allow you to discover marine fossils dating back millions of years, extinct volcanoes, karst formations and canyons, a guaranteed wow effect.
 
The park offers many activities to discover these treasures, including geological walks, guided tours of geological sites, children's workshops and cultural events. Visitors can also enjoy the natural beauty of the area by hiking, mountain biking, climbing and many other outdoor activities.
 
The Haute-Provence Geopark is also involved in sustainable development initiatives, working with local communities to promote ecological practices and supporting environmental preservation projects.
 
In summary, the Haute-Provence Geopark is a nature park that protects and enhances the geological riches of the region. It offers many activities to discover these riches and is committed to sustainable development initiatives to preserve the local environment.

The Museum-Promenade of Digne-les-Bains

The Museum-Promenade is the interpretation centre of the UNESCO Geopark of Haute-Provence. It is a place where art, nature and history come together. In the shade of the trees, along the streams, under the waterfalls, the park is a beautiful place to stroll and enjoy the beautiful summer days.
 

---

Visit the Museum-Promenade, the Maison des Remparts and its exhibition rooms

---

The museum, through its various exhibition rooms, takes you on a journey through time and space.

Fossils in the Alpes-de-Haute-Provence

 Through an illustration of the last 300 million years in our region, you will discover the different species of fossilized animals found here. The reconstruction of an ichthyosaur skeleton and its life-size representation will take you back to the seas of the Secondary or Mesozoic Era.

The regional ammonite collection

 In the Cretaceous period, between 135 and 94 million years ago, one of the most emblematic aninmals of the Haute-Provence geopark lived, the ammonite. In a play of light and shade, this room presents exceptional palaeontological pieces.

Aquariums

 In this tour of twelve aquariums, corals and sponges accompany nautiluses, horseshoe crabs and other tropical fish. The nautilus, a modern-day cousin of the ammonites that disappeared 65 million years ago, plays its part in recalling the history of life on Earth.

The Cosmonite spaceship

 Through a visit to an imaginary universe, go back in time and discover how previous generations have interpreted the appearance of fossilised marine animals in the mountains

 

---

The park, its paths, gardens and contemporary artworks

---

The butterfly garden

 The water of the Saint-Benoît spring combined with a specific climate makes the park of the Musée-Promenade a mecca for biodiversity. From April to September, a hundred or so species of native butterflies fly in and pollinate the carefully selected plants in the park. A colourful spectacle that will appeal to young and old alike.

The Garden of Kamaishi

 This Japanese garden was created in partnership with the town of Kamaishi, twinned with Digne-les-Bains, in Japan. It symbolizes the crossing of life and is visited from the bottom to the top and the bridge marks the passage into the spirit world.

The Saint-Benoît spring and the waterfall

 The spring slowly lays its limestone over its course to form the tuff, a characteristic moss-covered rock that gives the park's waterfall its appearance of a natural work of art.


 

---