Écomusée d’Alsace

What Écomusée d’Alsace does

Écomusée d'Alsace, legally Association de l'Écomusée d'Alsace, is a French nonprofit association that operates the largest open-air museum in France, located on a 97-hectare site in Ungersheim, Haut-Rhin, Alsace — originally redeveloped from a former potash mine (Mines de Potasse) starting in 1980. The museum conserves, studies, and presents a collection of 80 relocated and reconstructed Alsatian rural buildings, 60+ traditional farm animals, and 20 daily craft animations illustrating rural life from the Middle Ages to the early 20th century, and carries the official "Musée de France" label granting it conservation, research, and transmission missions. Beyond the core general admission experience, the museum monetizes through paid workshops and experiential stages (e.g., a 2-day pottery course at 224€ per person led by master potter Gilles Acker), nature encounters (e.g., stork meetings at 13-18.5€), dedicated group packages for school and leisure groups, privatizable venues for corporate seminars and private events, and ongoing donations and sponsorships.

The go-to-market is primarily event-driven and physical: visitor attendance is stimulated by a recurring seasonal event calendar — La Fête au Village (July-August Friday evenings), European Heritage Days (September), Les Arts du Bois (October), Au Nom de la Pomme (October), and Kriminàcht (October evenings) — plus year-round school and professional group programs. Distribution is direct via the museum's own e-commerce ticketing site and on-site sales, supplemented by a multilingual web presence (French, English, German), active social channels (Facebook, Instagram, YouTube), an email newsletter, and a publications line (Éco'muse magazine, hors séries, almanacs). Marketing also relies on press relations managed through a dedicated Head of Communication. Customer segmentation is horizontal — families and individual visitors are the primary persona, with school groups and professional/event organizers as additional segments; there are no disclosed enterprise anchor accounts. Headcount is 11-50 employees, and revenue is not publicly disclosed.

Name

Écomusée d’Alsace

Legal name

Association de l'Écomusée d'Alsace

Website

https://ecomusee.alsace

Company type

Private

Founded year

1980

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Écomusée d'Alsace is a French nonprofit operating France's largest open-air museum in Ungersheim, Alsace, conserving 80 historic Alsatian buildings, 60 farm animals, and 97 hectares of nature, serving families, school groups, and corporate event clients via admissions, workshops, and donations.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Open-Air Heritage Museum

NAICS

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

SIC

Services-Miscellaneous Amusement & Recreation (7990)

akta.pro primary industry

Museums & Heritage Sites (History, Science, Specialty) (BPAGAHAA)

akta.pro secondary industry

Specialty Museums (e.g., Maritime, Aviation, Sports, Music, Film) (THAJADAF)

Keywords

• Open-air museum
• Cultural heritage preservation
• Educational tourism
• Traditional craft workshops
• Heritage event venue

Headquarters

HQ city

Ungersheim

HQ country

France

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Ticket Sales: Individual admission tickets for visitors to access the open-air museum, its 80 buildings, animals, and daily animations.
2. Experiences and Workshops: Paid workshops and experiences including pottery stages (224€ per person), nature encounters, and guided tours.
3. Group Packages: Specialized offerings for school groups, leisure centers, and professional groups including privatizable event spaces and seminars.
4. Donations and Sponsorships: The museum operates a fundraising campaign and accepts donations and sponsorships to support preservation of its exceptional heritage.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Écomusée d'Alsace operates a 97-hectare open-air heritage museum in Ungersheim, France, showcasing 80 relocated traditional Alsatian rural buildings, 60 farm animals, and 20 daily craft and lifestyle demonstrations covering rural Alsace from the Middle Ages to the early 20th century. Revenue is generated through admission tickets, paid workshops (e.g., Stage de Poterie at 224€ per person), nature encounters, seasonal festivals, educational programmes for school groups, and privatisable event spaces for corporate clients. The museum is held by a nonprofit association under the official Musée de France label.

Product overview

Écomusée d'Alsace is a single-site open-air museum (not a multi-product platform) located in Ungersheim, Alsace, France. It conserves, studies, and showcases Alsatian rural heritage through 80 traditional half-timbered buildings, 60 farm animals, and 20 daily animations across 97 hectares. The core offering is general admission to the living museum with traditional craft demonstrations, farm animal interactions, nature trails, and seasonal events. Additional offerings include specialized workshops (pottery, nature discovery), educational programs for schools, group/private event bookings, and publications. Events such as La Fête au Village, European Heritage Days, and themed seasonal festivals drive visitation throughout the year.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• General Museum Admission Entry tickets to the 97-hectare open-air museum allowing visitors to explore traditional Alsatian rural heritage, 80 historic buildings from the Middle Ages to early 20th century, 60 farm animals, and 20 daily living demonstrations.
• Stage de Poterie (Pottery Workshop) Pottery workshop led by master potter Gilles Acker, teaching ceramic techniques from initiation to advanced levels; priced at 224€ TTC per person for a 2-day course including materials and firing of potteries.
• La Fête au Village (Village Festival) Seasonal village festival event featuring traditional Alsatian celebrations, held on Friday evenings from July 10 to August 21.
• Les Journées européennes du patrimoine (European Heritage Days) European Heritage Days event held September 19-20, showcasing regional cultural traditions.
• Les Arts du Bois (Wood Arts Event) Wood arts event featuring woodworking demonstrations and craftsmanship, held October 3-4.
• Au Nom de la Pomme (Apple Event) Apple-themed event celebrating traditional orchard and cider-making traditions, held October 17-18.
• Kriminàcht Evening event featuring mystery and crime-themed activities, held October 23-24 and 30-31.
• Pédagogie et Formation (School and Group Education Programmes) Educational programmes for school groups, leisure centres, and children's birthday parties, covering history, geography, biology, and traditional crafts from preschool to secondary level.
• Professionnels et Groupes (Corporate and Private Event Hire) Privatisable event spaces for seminars, corporate meetings, team-building events, and private celebrations, including customised pricing for professional and group bookings.
• Stages et Expériences (Workshops and Experiences) Paid workshops and experiential activities including pottery courses, nature discovery walks (e.g., stork encounters priced at 18.5€ adult / 13€ child), and traditional craft demonstrations led by master artisans.
• Publications (Museum Magazines and Hors-Séries) Museum publications including the Éco'muse magazine and hors-série series covering exhibitions, traditional crafts, beverages, textiles, flora, fauna, and local history topics.

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Ballenberg Open-Air Museum: Swiss Open-Air Museum in Brienz showcasing traditional rural buildings from across Switzerland, with craft demonstrations, farm animals, and seasonal events. Directly comparable open-air heritage museum with similar operating model and visitor experience.
• Skansen: World's first open-air museum, founded 1891 on Djurgården in Stockholm, Sweden. Skansen preserves historic Swedish buildings and traditional crafts across a large site, with seasonal events and live craft demonstrations — directly analogous to Écomusée d'Alsace's model of relocated buildings, traditional craftsmanship, and seasonal programming.
• Écomusée de la Bresse: Regional French écomusée in Saint-Cyr-sur-Menthon (Ain) preserving Bresse regional rural heritage through traditional buildings, farms, and craft demonstrations. A directly comparable French ecomuseum focused on regional cultural heritage, smaller in scale than Écomusée d'Alsace.
• Nederlands Openluchtmuseum: Netherlands Open Air Museum in Arnhem preserves historic Dutch rural buildings, traditional crafts, and farm life through relocated structures and live demonstrations. Closely comparable to Écomusée d'Alsace as a European open-air heritage museum with daily craft animations and seasonal events.
• Seurasaari Open-Air Museum: Open-air museum on Seurasaari island in Helsinki, Finland, preserving historic Finnish buildings relocated from across the country, with traditional craft demonstrations and seasonal events. Closely comparable European open-air heritage museum.
• Black Country Living Museum: Open-air museum in Dudley, West Midlands, UK, preserving Black Country industrial heritage through relocated buildings, costumed characters, and working demonstrations. Closely comparable model of immersive, interactive open-air heritage experience with seasonal events and education programs.
• Maihaugen: Maihaugen Open-Air Museum in Lillehammer, Norway, preserving Norwegian cultural heritage through historic buildings, traditional crafts, and farm animals across a large site. Comparable European open-air museum with similar relocated buildings and craft demonstration model.
• Latvian Ethnographic Open-Air Museum: Open-air ethnographic museum near Riga, Latvia, preserving traditional Latvian rural buildings, crafts, and lifestyle through relocated structures and live demonstrations. Comparable European open-air heritage museum with similar scope of cultural preservation and visitor experience.
• Beamish Museum: Open-air living museum in County Durham, England, preserving buildings and depicting life in North East England through relocated historic structures, costumed interpreters, and working demonstrations. Directly comparable to Écomusée d'Alsace in concept, scale, and immersive heritage experience.
• Freilichtmuseum Detmold: Westphalian Open-Air Museum in Detmold, Germany, preserving historic Westphalian rural buildings, farms, and crafts across a large site with relocated structures, traditional craft demonstrations, and seasonal events. Comparable European open-air heritage museum.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/@ecomuseealsace
• Instagraminstagram.com/explore/tags/ecomuseealsace

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 Écomusée d’Alsace