L’Ecomusée Paysalp

What L’Ecomusée Paysalp does

PAYSALP – Culture & Patrimoine (formerly L'écomusée PAYSALP) is a French association loi 1901 founded circa 1985 and headquartered in Viuz-en-Sallaz, Haute-Savoie, dedicated to the cultural mediation and valorization of Alpine heritage. The organization operates as a network of 8 distinct heritage sites across the 4 Rivières territory, including the Musée PAYSAN (Alpine life museum with period rooms), the Maison de la Mémoire (heritage interpretation center and cheese-making workshop venue), and the Croq'Alp site at the Mieussy fruitière (destroyed by fire in September 2023 and operationally relocated). PAYSALP conserves the Département de la Haute-Savoie-owned Hermann Collection of roughly 5,000 pieces (600+ books) and maintains the Mémoire Alpine online database of photographs, video, and audio documenting local history.

The association is sustained by approximately 10 salaried staff and around 100 members and volunteers, under the presidency of Yolande Horellou. Its portfolio of offerings includes year-round cultural programming (workshops, theatrical visits, escape games, the annual Festival du Hérisson, and participatory artist residencies since 2017), educational programming for schools, leisure centers, and groups of 20+, adapted visits for visitors with disabilities, traveling exhibition and giant wooden game rentals to external institutions, and two boutique locations selling regional books and artisanal products.

Revenue is generated through a mix of museum and event admissions, boutique sales, member subscriptions and donations/mécénat, institutional grants (CC4R, Département de la Haute-Savoie, FONJEP, FDVA, DRAC Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes), and corporate sponsorship (Crédit Agricole, Groupama). Pricing for heritage publications ranges from €5 to €30, while admission fees and group rates are not publicly disclosed. The 2022 rebrand introduced online ticketing and membership functionality, and the 2025 'De la Terre à l'Assiette' documentary project with Chloro'fill and MJCI Les Clarines, supported by FDVA, represents the most recent programmatic expansion. There is no proprietary AI/ML technology; the underlying platform is the Mémoire Alpine content database and a WordPress-based website with integrated online booking.

Name

L’Ecomusée Paysalp

Legal name

PAYSALP

Website

https://paysalp.fr

Company type

Private

Founded year

1985

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

PAYSALP is a French non-profit ecomuseum association operating 8 heritage sites in Haute-Savoie, delivering cultural mediation, educational workshops, the annual Festival du Hérisson, and exhibitions to schools, families, visitors, and institutional partners.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Heritage and Cultural Site Management

NAICS

Historical Sites (71212), Nature Parks and Other Similar Institutions (71219)

SIC

Services-Amusement & Recreation Services (7900)

akta.pro primary industry

Cultural Heritage & Indigenous-Led Visitor Services (Tribal Tours, Heritage Sites, Co-management) (THAAAGAL)

akta.pro secondary industry

Wildlife & Nature Interpretation Guides (Birding, Photography, Naturalist) (THAAALAE)

Keywords

• Heritage museum sites
• Cultural mediation services
• Alpine heritage preservation
• Educational workshops
• Community cultural programming

Headquarters

HQ city

Viuz-en-Sallaz

HQ country

France

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Others

Revenue model

1. Museum admissions and site visits: Revenue from visitors paying to access the 8 sites including Musée PAYSAN, Croq'Alp, and other heritage locations. Online reservation and payment system for events and animations.
2. Boutique sales: Sale of heritage books, local products, crafts, and regional publications through two boutique locations (Musée PAYSAN and Maison de la Mémoire). Products include local cheeses, books on Alpine heritage, and artisanal items.
3. Membership and donations: Revenue from member subscriptions (adhésion) and donations/mécénat supporting the association's mission.
4. Exhibition and game rental: Rental of traveling exhibitions and giant wooden games to other organizations and venues.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

L'Ecomusée Paysalp is a French nonprofit association (loi 1901) that operates a network of eight heritage sites across Haute-Savoie, delivering cultural mediation, guided visits, educational workshops, exhibitions, and seasonal festivals focused on Alpine heritage. It manages the Mémoire Alpine heritage database, coordinates a volunteer workforce, and hosts cultural programming including book fairs, concerts, and artisan events across its sites.

Product overview

PAYSALP (formerly L'écomusée Paysalp, now PAYSALP - Culture & Patrimoine) is an ecomuseum association operating 8 heritage sites across the Haute-Savoie territory. The organization offers a multi-faceted portfolio centered on cultural mediation and heritage valorization: the core products include physical sites (Musée PAYSAN, Maison de la Mémoire, Croq'Alp, various chalets and priories) providing immersive museum experiences and cheese-making workshops; the Mémoire Alpine online database; and an exhibition rental service. Supporting offerings encompass cultural animations and workshops (theatrical visits, escape games, outdoor activities), the annual Festival du Hérisson, participatory artist residencies, and two retail boutiques selling regional publications and crafts. The portfolio is delivered through direct site visits, group programs, online booking, and traveling exhibitions.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Guided Heritage Site Visits
• Educational Workshops and School Programs

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 2,500 visitors in a single day at Festival du Hérisson 2025
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers7 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Eleven partnerships are on record, tiered major, minor and core.

• Chloro'fillmajorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 27 January 2025Association partnering on the 'De la Terre à l'Assiette' documentary project featuring local producers. Joint production of short films celebrating Alpine agriculture.
• MJCI Les ClarinesminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 27 January 2025Youth center partnering on educational film project allowing young people to participate in documentary creation as part of media literacy education.
• Villa du Parc (Annemasse)minorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2022Contemporary art center partnered on 2022 artist residency with Eric Giraudet de Boudemange exploring water and heritage themes.
• Archipel Butor (Lucinges)minorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2022Cultural space partnered on artist residency program exploring local heritage through contemporary art.
• Gérard Benoit à la GuillaumeminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2021Artist who conducted the 'Bidons Sans Frontières' land art residency project, creating installations with milk cans across the territory.
• CC4R (Communauté de communes des 4 rivières)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerInstitutional partner providing organizational support and funding for heritage projects and cultural programming on the 4 Rivières territory. PAYSALP conducts heritage inventory projects for CC4R.
• Département de la Haute-SavoiecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerInstitutional partner and owner of the Hermann Collection (5,000 items) which PAYSALP conserves and valorizes. Provides ongoing support for heritage activities.
• DRAC Auvergne-Rhône-AlpescoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerRegional cultural authority providing institutional support and oversight for cultural heritage activities.
• Fédération des Écomusée et Musées de Sociétés – FEMSminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerMembership in federation of ecomuseums and society museums providing networking and best practices exchange.
• Môle & Brasses TourismeminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorLocal tourism office partner promoting PAYSALP sites and events to visitors of the Môle and Brasses area.
• Commune de MieussycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMunicipal partner hosting Croq'Alp site at the local fruitière (dairy cooperative).

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Musée Savoisien: Regional heritage museum in Chambéry focused on Savoyard history. Closely comparable to PAYSALP as a neighboring Alpine heritage institution serving overlapping cultural-tourism audiences in the Savoie/Haute-Savoie region.
• Musée Dauphinois: Regional heritage museum in Grenoble operated by the Département de l'Isère, focused on Alpine culture and history. Comparable as a Départment-level Alpine heritage museum with similar collections, exhibitions, and educational outreach model.
• Écomusée d'Alsace: France's largest ecomuseum located in Ungersheim, operating a network of historic buildings and Alsatian heritage sites. Directly comparable as a French regional ecomuseum combining cultural mediation, immersive visits, and educational programming.
• Écomusée de la Bresse - Domaine des Planons: Regional ecomuseum in Saint-Cyr-sur-Menthon (Ain) operated as part of the Département. Directly comparable as a French rural ecomuseum focused on traditional life, heritage collections, and community-led cultural programming.
• Musée des Maisons Comtoises: Ecomuseum in Nancray (Franche-Comté) presenting traditional rural architecture and crafts. Comparable as a French ecomuseum using a network of dispersed heritage sites and cultural mediation workshops.

Regional players

• Château de Clermont (Haute-Savoie): Heritage château in Haute-Savoie offering cultural visits and events. Comparable as a same-region heritage site competing for similar local tourism and cultural-programming audiences.
• Centre d'Interprétation du Patrimoine - Pays de Savoie (example: Maison du Pays Chautagne): Regional heritage interpretation centers across Savoie/Haute-Savoie offering themed visits and educational workshops. Comparable as a network of smaller heritage interpretation sites targeting school groups and families in the same Alpine territory.
• La Maison du Lac - Musée archéologique du Lac du Bourget: Heritage and archaeology museum on the Lac du Bourget in Savoie. Comparable as a regional cultural-heritage site in the French Alps with educational programming and themed exhibitions.

Others

• Fédération des Écomusées et Musées de Sociétés (FEMS): Federation of French ecomuseums and society museums of which PAYSALP is a member. Comparable as the umbrella body whose other member ecomuseums represent PAYSALP's closest peer group for benchmarking and best-practice sharing.

Broad incumbents

• Musées Gadagne (Lyon): Combined museum of Lyon history, puppetry arts, and Mediterranean archaeology. Comparable as a broader Rhône-Alpes heritage institution offering multi-site cultural mediation, workshops, and educational programming at greater scale.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/l%E2%80%99ecomus%C3%A9e-paysalp

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 L’Ecomusée Paysalp