Did you know that the largest collection of voodoo objects in the world can be found in Strasbourg? The Château Vodou Museum steers clear of clichés to present this little-known culture. It’s an unusual experience that will open your mind!
The museum
Just a few steps away from the Strasbourg train station, the Château Vodou Museum is located in a magnificent water tower built between 1878 and 1883. Even before going in, I was already enchanted by the charm of its exterior architecture, steeped in history.
Laid out on 3 floors, the collection of the Château Vodou Museum contains more than 1,200 objects that are unique in the world, brought from West Africa by its founders: Marie-Luce and Marc Arbogast. Featuring sculptures, statuettes, garments, jewellery, and more, it’s an amazingly rich and diverse range of items!
An invitation to discover another culture
Like a lot of people, I had already heard of voodoo, without really knowing much about this far-off culture, which is nonetheless still very prevalent.
Somewhere between a religion and a philosophy of life, voodoo is a vast term that encompasses various beliefs and practices that seek to communicate with an invisible world of ancestors, gods and spirits. It takes the form of rituals, music, dance and objects that I discovered with pleasure, and sometimes surprise!
A very vibrant museum
In addition to guided tours, Château Vodou offers lots of original activities for every audience, such as a “Murder Party” in the museum, nighttime torchlight tours, voodoo evenings with virtual reality, and more.
I especially recommend the nighttime torchlight tour with a guide. In total darkness, you explore the museum by torchlight, and discover its unique objects. An intense experience I will not soon forget!
If you’re visiting as a family, stop by the welcome desk and pick up a fun tour booklet for your kids.
The next nighttime tours can be found here.
Find all the events organised by the museum here.
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