Musée de Cluny - musée national du Moyen Âge

What Musée de Cluny - musée national du Moyen Âge does

The Musée de Cluny - musée national du Moyen Âge is a French national museum located in the 5th arrondissement of Paris, operating under the tutelage of the Ministère de la Culture. Founded in 1844 around the private collection of Alexandre Du Sommerard and housed in the 15th-century Hôtel des Abbés de Cluny, the institution is the only national museum in France dedicated exclusively to the Middle Ages. The site combines a 1st-2nd century Gallo-Roman thermal bath complex (the Thermes de Lutèce) with a Flamboyant Gothic mansion, and its collection spans roughly 1,000 years of artistic production from Antiquity to the late Middle Ages, including the Lady and the Unicorn tapestries, the Crowns of Guarrazar, the Golden Rose of Basel, and Notre-Dame de Paris sculptures. The museum serves a broad audience including individual visitors, families, organized groups, school groups, visitors with disabilities, social outreach beneficiaries, researchers, and corporate clients.

The museum operates a multi-channel digital and physical platform. Its technology stack includes an online ticketing system at billetterie.musee-moyenage.fr, a 3D virtual tour developed with Zooomez SAS in conjunction with the Ministry of Culture, a multilingual digital visitor companion rental device (French, English, Spanish, LSF), and an online collections database with nearly 300 catalogued artwork notices. The museum maintains a research presence via a documentation center, an online catalog integrated with the national museum library collective catalog (CCBMN), a scholarly research notebook on the Hypothèses platform, and three podcast series. In 2024 the museum welcomed 273,733 visitors, held 74 outbound artwork loans, acquired 6 new works, and grew its social media audience to 197,664 followers.

The institution's revenue model is hybrid and primarily public-sector driven. Direct revenue streams include admission tickets (€14 full / €12 reduced), activity fees for guided tours, workshops, and performances, corporate private event rentals, film and photography location rentals, and on-site and online boutique sales. These earned-income streams are supplemented by individual donations, corporate patronage (mécénat), and the support of the Société des Amis du musée de Cluny. The museum's underlying funding flows from the French State via the Ministry of Culture, with the institution functioning as a public cultural entity rather than a commercial enterprise. It operates from a single Paris site with 41 staff and reopened after complete renovation in 2022.

Name

Musée de Cluny - musée national du Moyen Âge

Legal name

Musée de Cluny - musée national du Moyen Âge

Website

https://musee-moyenage.fr

Company type

Private

Founded year

1844

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

The Musée de Cluny is a French national museum in Paris dedicated to the Middle Ages, operating under the Ministry of Culture since 1844. It serves individual visitors, school groups, researchers, and corporate clients with its medieval collection, digital tools, and event spaces.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Museum and Cultural Heritage Services

NAICS

Museums, Historical Sites, and Similar Institutions (7121), Historical Sites (712120), Museums (712110)

akta.pro primary industry

History Museums (THAJADAB)

akta.pro secondary industries

Art Museums (THAJADAA), Historic Sites, Heritage Landmarks & Archaeological Sites (THAJACAC), Cultural Heritage Institutions (Archives, Historic Houses, Monuments Foundations) (THAJADAI)

Keywords

• Medieval art museum
• Cultural heritage preservation
• Historical exhibitions
• Educational museum visits
• Medieval artifact collection

Headquarters

HQ city

Paris

HQ country

France

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Entry Ticket Sales: Revenue from museum admission tickets at €14 full price and €12 reduced price. Online pre-booking system available.
2. Private Event Rental: Corporate events, evening receptions, and private tours outside public hours. Available to companies and associations for dinners, cocktails, seminars in spaces like the frigidarium, medieval hotel courtyard, and Notre-Dame sculpture galleries.
3. Donations and Patronage: Individual and corporate donations to support exhibitions, mediation projects, monument restoration, and garden maintenance. Mécènes (patrons) program supporting specific acquisitions and restoration projects.
4. Retail and Boutique: On-site librairy-boutique and online shop selling books, catalogs, souvenirs related to collections and exhibitions.
5. Activity Fees: Supplementary fees for guided tours (€4-€5.50), workshops (€9), theatrical visits (€5-€27), conferences (€4), and performances (€6-€19).
6. Film and Photography Location Rental: Commercial filming and photography sessions in the historic monument, with spaces including frigidarium, medieval courtyards, chapel, and Gothic cave.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels6 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

The Musée de Cluny operates as a national museum dedicated to the Middle Ages, presenting a permanent collection of medieval artifacts spanning roughly 1,000 years (from Antiquity to the late Middle Ages), housed in the historic Hôtel des Abbés de Cluny and Gallo-Roman baths in Paris. It offers temporary exhibitions, guided tours, workshops, theatrical visits, concerts, conferences, and educational programs for schools and cultural groups, alongside a 3D virtual tour, digital companion guides, and an online boutique. The museum also rents its historic spaces for private corporate events and professional film/photography shoots.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Museum admission (permanent collection and exhibitions) Access to the museum's permanent collection of medieval artifacts spanning approximately 1,000 years (Antiquity to late Middle Ages), displayed across 3,500+ m² of exhibition space including the Gallo-Roman thermae, the Hôtel médiéval, the chapel, and the Jardin des abbés. Available to individual visitors and families; full price €14, reduced €12, with free admission for under 18, EU residents 18-25, job seekers, disabled visitors, and on the first Sunday of each month.
• Guided tours One-hour (€4) and one-and-a-half-hour (€5.50) guided tours led by museum staff, providing expert interpretation of the permanent collection and exhibitions. Available to individual visitors and groups.
• Educational workshops Two-hour educational workshops (€9 per person) covering medieval art, crafts, and history, designed for families, school groups, and individual visitors.
• Theatrical visits, concerts, and performances Theatrical visits (€5–€27) and concerts/performances (€6–€19) that bring medieval art and history to life through staged and musical interpretation for general audiences.
• 3D virtual tour Online 3D virtual tour of the museum accessible globally in French and English, allowing remote visitors to explore the collections and architecture from anywhere.
• Digital visitor companion (Companion numérique) Rental handheld digital companion device offering multiple themed tours in French, English, Spanish, and French Sign Language (LSF). Available at museum reception at €4 full price / €2 reduced price.
• Private event and corporate venue rental Rental of historic museum spaces (frigidarium, medieval hotel courtyard, Notre-Dame sculpture galleries, chapel) for corporate events, evening receptions, dinners, cocktails, and seminars. Available to companies and associations outside public hours.
• Film and photography location rental Commercial filming and photography sessions in the historic monument, with available spaces including the frigidarium, medieval courtyards, chapel, and Gothic cave. Booked through the museum's communication department.
• On-site and online librairie-boutique On-site librairy-boutique and online shop (boutiquesdemusees.fr) selling books, exhibition catalogs, and souvenirs related to the museum's collections and exhibitions.
• Documentation center library and research services Documentation center at 6 place Paul Painlevé, Paris, providing access to scholarly resources, the collective catalog of national museum libraries (CCBMN), and the research notebook on the Hypothèses platform. Available to researchers, academics, and the public by appointment.

Quantifiable outcome

• 273,733 visitors welcomed in 2024
• +3 more outcomes

Segments7 records

Ideal customer profiles6 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration5 records

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Les Amis du musée de Cluny (Society of Friends)coreOthersThe Society of Friends (Les Amis) is a membership organization supporting the museum through donations, advocacy, and cultural programming. They funded the creation of the Café des Amis opened in 2022 and support various museum projects and acquisitions.
• Ministry of Culture (Ministère de la Culture)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe museum operates under the Ministry of Culture as a national museum (musée national). The Ministry oversees the Service des Musées de France and provides institutional support, funding, and policy direction. Joint initiatives include the virtual tour experimentation program.
• GrandPalaisRmncoreTechnology or IntegrationGrandPalaisRmn (Réunion des musées nationaux) provides photography services, image licensing, and collection digitization support for the museum's collections and publications.
• OPPIC (Opérateur du patrimoine et des projets immobiliers de la culture)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPublic cultural heritage operator providing architectural photography and supporting monument restoration and conservation projects at the museum.
• Jumelage with Ville de SartrouvilleminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership twinning between the museum and the city of Sartrouville to promote medieval cultural heritage and extend museum outreach beyond Paris.

Scale indicators12 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• Musée du Louvre: France's flagship national museum under the same Ministry of Culture. Comparable as a French national museum ecosystem participant but operates at vastly larger scale and with broader thematic scope.
• Musée d'Orsay: Major Paris national museum covering 1848-1914 art. Comparable as another major French national museum in Paris with similar ticketing, membership, and digital infrastructure under the same Ministry.
• Victoria and Albert Museum: London-based museum covering decorative arts and design history including medieval collections. Comparable as a major national museum with similar art/decorative focus, comparable scale, and similar visitor programming.
• Rijksmuseum: Dutch national museum with comparable art and historical collection breadth including medieval holdings. Comparable as a major European national museum with similar institutional structure and visitor base.

Direct peers

• Musée des Arts Décoratifs: Paris museum focused on decorative arts with related medieval and historical collections. Comparable as a Paris arts and heritage institution under public ownership with similar ticketing and programming model.
• Musée Carnavalet: Paris history museum focused on the history of Paris, also free admission under public ownership. Highly comparable as a specialized Parisian historical institution with similar scale, headcount profile, and visitor mix.
• Cité de l'architecture et du patrimoine: Paris institution focused on French architectural and heritage preservation including medieval elements. Comparable as a heritage-focused museum under French public tutelage with strong collection and research orientation.
• Musée de l'Orangerie: Paris national museum with comparable scale and visitor profile, also offering themed art exhibitions under the Ministry of Culture. Comparable as a single-site Parisian national museum with integrated ticketing, retail, and digital programming.

Others

• GrandPalaisRmn: Direct service partner of the museum providing photography, image licensing, and collection digitization. Comparable as an ecosystem enabler providing production and retail services across the French national museums network.
• Centre des monuments nationaux: French public institution managing national heritage monuments including medieval sites. Comparable as a peer institutional operator under the Ministry of Culture managing cultural heritage assets and visitor programming.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/mus%C3%A9e-de-cluny

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles6 records

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 Musée de Cluny - musée national du Moyen Âge