La Coupole

What La Coupole does

La Coupole (legally EPCC La Coupole – Centre d'Histoire et Planétarium 3D) is a French public cultural institution established under the EPCC (Établissement Public de Coopération Culturelle) framework, operating from a former WWII V-2 rocket bunker in Wizernes, Pas-de-Calais. It runs two core attractions: the Centre d'Histoire, an immersive museum covering the Occupation, V-2 rockets, and space conquest, accessed via a self-guided multilingual audio tour; and the Planétarium 3D, a next-generation planetarium featuring 360-degree immersive dome projections with active 3D glasses. A combined ticket (Billet Jumel\u00e9) bundles both experiences for a full-day visit.

The business model is direct-to-consumer, with revenue generated primarily through individual and family ticket sales (€5–€20.50 per ticket depending on product), annual subscriptions (€51.50/year for unlimited access), group and school bookings (workshop packages at €125), venue privatization (€700), temporary exhibitions (€5), and on-site boutique and cafeteria services. Distribution operates through the institution's own e-commerce platform (shop.lacoupole-france.com, powered by Acheteza) and on-site box office, supported by email marketing via Brevo and standard web analytics.

La Coupole serves a diversified customer base including individual visitors, families, school groups, organized groups exceeding 40 persons, and specialized enthusiasts (WWII history buffs, astronomy hobbyists). It employs 11–50 staff and is led by Director Philippe Queste. Marketing relies on the official website, cultural event agenda, newsletter, and social media, with seasonal programming (e.g., Summer 2026) serving as ongoing content refresh. As a public institution, La Coupole is not privately funded or PE/VC-relevant in the conventional sense; its scale and governance are anchored in regional public-sector cultural policy.

Name

La Coupole

Legal name

EPCC La Coupole – Centre d'Histoire et Planétarium 3D

Website

https://lacoupole-france.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1997

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

La Coupole is a French public cultural institution operating a WWII bunker history center and a 3D planetarium in Wizernes, Pas-de-Calais, selling tickets directly to individual visitors, families, school groups, and organized groups through its own e-commerce platform and on-site box office.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Heritage Museum and Planetarium

NAICS

Historical Sites (71212), Tour Operators (56152), Tour Operators (561520)

SIC

Services-Amusement & Recreation Services (7900)

akta.pro primary industry

Political, Social History & Civic Tours (THAJAAAK)

Keywords

• Historical museum exhibits
• 3D planetarium shows
• Cultural tourism attractions
• WWII history exhibits
• Astronomy education programs

Headquarters

HQ city

Wizernes

HQ country

France

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Ticket Sales - Individual Admission: Direct ticket sales for individual admission to the History Centre and/or 3D Planetarium, with tiered pricing for adults, children, and family passes. Tickets are valid for 180 days from purchase.
2. Group and School Bookings: Specialized booking services for groups of more than 40 persons and school visits, with workshop packages available.
3. Annual Pass: Annual pass subscription offering unlimited access to the site for 51.50 euros.
4. On-site Services: Revenue from on-site boutique (souvenirs, historical books, regional products) and cafeteria services.
5. Venue Privatization: Rental of facilities such as the reception hall or cafeteria for private events at 700 euros.
6. Temporary Exhibitions: Separate ticketed access to temporary exhibitions, priced at 5 euros.
7. Workshop Packages: Educational workshop packages for groups at 125 euros.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

La Coupole operates a dual cultural attraction in a converted WWII V-2 rocket bunker in Wizernes, France, offering an immersive self-guided History Centre dedicated to WWII Occupation and space conquest, paired with a next-generation 3D Planetarium featuring 360° immersive dome projections. Visitors access the site through individual, family, combined (Billet Jumelé), group, school, or annual pass tickets, with supplementary on-site boutique, cafeteria, workshop, exhibition, and venue privatization services.

Product overview

La Coupole offers a dual-attraction cultural experience combining two core products: the Centre d'Histoire (History Center), an immersive museum in a former WWII bunker dedicated to the Occupation, V2 rockets, and space exploration; and the Planétarium 3D, a state-of-the-art 3D planetarium featuring 360-degree immersive projections. These are sold individually or as a combined ticket (Billet Jumelé). Additional offerings include annual passes, temporary exhibitions, workshop packages, and venue privatization services.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Centre d'Histoire Immersive self-guided history center housed in a former WWII bunker, dedicated to the Occupation, V-2 rockets, and space exploration, with a multilingual audio guide included. Targeted at individual visitors, families, school groups, and cultural tourists.
• Planétarium 3D Latest-generation 3D planetarium offering a 360° immersive projection under a dome, with active 3D glasses, taking visitors through stars, planets, galaxies, and major space discoveries. Targeted at families, school groups, and astronomy enthusiasts.
• Billet Jumelé (Expérience Complète) Combined ticket offering complete access to both the History Center and a 3D Planetarium session, providing the total cross-attraction experience across the entire day. Targeted at visitors wanting the full site experience.
• Pass Annuel Annual pass granting unlimited access to both the Centre d'Histoire and the 3D Planetarium throughout the year at 51.50 euros. Targeted at repeat local visitors, regional residents, and frequent enthusiasts.
• Exposition Temporaire Separate ticketed access to temporary themed exhibitions at 5 euros per exhibition, layered on top of the standard attractions. Targeted at repeat visitors and topical interest audiences.
• Forfaits Ateliers Workshop packages including themed activities and educational programs (such as 'Petite Ourse' and 'Ourson' astronomy formations) priced at 125 euros per group. Targeted at school groups and organized group visitors.
• Privatisation (Hall d'accueil ou Cafétéria) Private venue rental service for the reception hall or cafeteria at 700 euros, available for events and special occasions. Targeted at private event organizers and corporate clients.

Quantifiable outcome

• Tickets valid for 180 days from purchase, providing flexibility for visitors
• +1 more outcomes

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration4 records

Feature2 records

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core and supporting.

• AchetezacoreTechnology or IntegrationAcheteza provides the online ticketing platform infrastructure for La Coupole's e-commerce operations (shop.lacoupole-france.com). All ticket reservations, user account creation, and payment processing are handled through Acheteza's interfaces.
• BrevosupportingTechnology or IntegrationBrevo provides the newsletter and email marketing platform for La Coupole, managing subscriber communications about activities, events, and news updates.
• Google (reCAPTCHA, Analytics)supportingTechnology or IntegrationGoogle provides reCAPTCHA protection for contact forms (anti-spam) and Google Analytics for website traffic measurement and service improvement.
• OVH SASsupportingTechnology or IntegrationOVH SAS provides web hosting services for the lacoupole-france.com website from their Roubaix, France data center.

Scale indicators1 record

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Regional players

• Nausicaá Centre National de la Mer: Boulogne-sur-Mer aquarium and marine science center in Hauts-de-France. Nearby regional peer with similar family/school audience targeting and ticketed attraction model, though focused on marine rather than space themes.
• Louvre-Lens: Lens-based branch of the Louvre museum in Hauts-de-France. Regional cultural peer with comparable public-institution governance, family ticketing, and educational programming focus.

Broad incumbents

• Deutsches Museum: Munich-based major science and technology museum with planetarium and space exhibits. Comparable breadth of science history programming and immersive planetarium technology, though operating at much larger scale.
• Palais de la Découverte: Paris-based science museum and planetarium under Universcience. Comparable immersive planetarium experience to La Coupole's 3D dome, but with a broader science focus and significantly larger visitor base.
• Cité des Sciences et de l'Industrie: France's flagship science center in Paris with planetarium and immersive exhibitions. Comparable educational programming and ticketing structure but operates at substantially greater scale and geographic reach.

Direct peers

• Musée de l'Air et de l'Espace: Le Bourget (Paris) museum combining aviation heritage with space exploration exhibits and planetarium offerings. Comparable dual-thrust (history + space) positioning similar to La Coupole's Centre d'Histoire + Planétarium 3D structure.
• Mémorial de Caen: Major WWII history museum and memorial in Normandy serving as a benchmark for French WWII memory tourism. Comparable visitor profile, ticketing structure, and educational group programming to La Coupole's history center.
• Historial de la Grande Guerre: Péronne-based WWI history museum in Hauts-de-France. Closest geographic and thematic peer for La Coupole's WWII history center, with similar school group programming and ticketing model.
• Centre Juno Beach: Normandy D-Day history center combining museum exhibits with educational programming. Comparable in scale and in its focus on WWII memory tourism for families and school groups.
• Cité de l'Espace: Toulouse-based space theme park and planetarium offering immersive space exhibits and educational programming. Directly comparable to La Coupole's Planétarium 3D pillar, though on a larger scale and broader space-only focus.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks7 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/lacoupole62

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about La Coupole