Musée du Temps

The Musée du Temps in Besançon: a museum in a palace

Located in the heart of a prestigious Renaissance palace, the Granvelle Palace, the Time Museum retraces the great moments of watchmaking in Besançon, bringing together the history of time measurement and the history of the city.

The evocation of Besançon as a "watchmaking capital" is reflected in the museum through the city's heritage collections. In addition to the famous Leroy 01, long considered the most complicated watch in the world, the museum presents some of the instruments of the Besançon Astronomical Observatory, which certified the correct operation of the chronometers, as well as the educational material of the National Watchmaking School. In addition, the watchmaking collections offer an overview of the history of the discipline, with Ferdinand Berthoud and Antide Janvier representing some of the greatest names in watchmaking history.

At the same time, tapestries, famous people, relief drawings, historical paintings, furniture and objets d'art invite us to delve into the history of the place, the town and even the Franche-Comté region.

To finish, a panorama of the city's roofs is offered to visitors after contemplating Foucault's famous pendulum, located at the foot of the palace tower, which gives rhythm to the Earth's rotation.