Mulhouse European Night of Museums
22nd edition in Mulhouse — Ten museums, a thousand perspectives
About Mulhouse European Night of Museums
The Mulhouse European Night of Museums is the Mulhouse edition of the major national and European cultural event, organized annually in May by Mulhouse Alsace Agglomération (m2A) with the ten museums of the territory. For one evening, the Musée National de l'Automobile, the Cité du Train, the Musée Electropolis, the Écomusée d'Alsace, the Musée de l'Impression sur Étoffes and several others open their doors for free at night and offer guided tours, unprecedented exhibitions, workshops, concerts and fun trails. The 2026 edition, titled «Ten museums, a thousand perspectives», celebrates the bicentennial of photography through the collections of the territory.
The night when all Mulhouse museums open for free
Every spring, the European Night of Museums transforms the Mulhouse agglomeration into a vast nocturnal cultural journey. Coordinated by Mulhouse Alsace Agglomération (m2A), the Mulhouse edition is part of the national and European event led by the Ministry of Culture and allows visitors to discover, in a single evening, the ten most emblematic museums of the territory — for free and in a festive atmosphere.
Ten exceptional museums, one ticket: curiosity
From mechanics to contemporary art, from industrial heritage to Alsatian ethnography, the ten participating museums offer a diversity of settings and collections unparalleled in France:
- Musée National de l'Automobile — Collection Schlumpf: over 400 legendary cars, including the world's largest Bugatti collection.
- Cité du Train Patrimoine SNCF: the largest railway museum in Europe, spanning 60,000 m².
- Musée Electropolis: the adventure of electricity told through a monumental BBC steam engine.
- Musée de l'Impression sur Étoffes: Alsatian textile heritage and the art of 'indienne' (printed cotton), directly linked to Mulhouse's industrial history.
- Musée du Papier Peint in Rixheim: half a million documents tracing the history of wallpaper worldwide.
- Musée des Beaux-Arts: paintings from the 17th to the 20th century, from Brueghel to Bourdelle.
- Musée Historique: archaeological treasures, furniture, and decorative arts from the region.
- La Kunsthalle Mulhouse: contemporary art center with a cutting-edge program.
- Écomusée d'Alsace in Ungersheim: the largest ecomuseum in France, 75 traditional houses in a reconstructed village.
- Grange à Bécanes in Bantzenheim: museum of vintage motorcycles, on the banks of the Rhine.
- Musée de la Mine et de la Potasse in Wittelsheim: memory of the Alsatian potash basin.
An evening designed for all audiences
The European Night of Museums annually attracts families, students, art lovers, and the curious with its nocturnal, free, and participatory format. Each museum offers a specific program — guided tours by curators, practical workshops, artistic performances, readings, concerts, screenings, children's activities — allowing visitors to rediscover collections from a new perspective. The 'night' format and free admission break down the usual barriers to museum visits and attract an audience often distant from cultural institutions.
A local version of a major European event
Created in 2005 on the initiative of the French Ministry of Culture, the European Night of Museums quickly spread to over thirty countries of the Council of Europe. It always takes place on the Saturday closest to May 18th, which coincides with International Museum Day. In Mulhouse, m2A has coordinated the event for over twenty years, succeeding previous local formats and acting as a pioneer in nocturnal museum animation in Alsace.
An unmissable event of the Mulhouse spring
Beyond a simple nocturnal opening, the Mulhouse European Night of Museums has become an emblematic event of the Alsatian cultural spring, attracting thousands of local visitors and tourists each year. It fully contributes to the agglomeration's heritage enhancement strategy and the city's cultural influence on the French and cross-border (Germany, Switzerland) scene.
Mulhouse European Night of Museums — edition 2026
2026 Edition — « Ten museums, a thousand perspectives »
For its 22nd edition, the European Night of Museums in Mulhouse celebrates the bicentenary of photography (1826-2026) through the collections of the ten museums in the urban area. Under the theme « Ten museums, a thousand perspectives », each museum has selected three emblematic photographs from its collections to present to the public; a photo contest organized beforehand also rewarded eighteen creations by amateurs and professionals, which will also be exhibited on the evening of the event.
Saturday, May 23, 2026, from 2 PM to 11 PM
The 22nd edition takes place on Saturday, May 23, 2026, from 2 PM to 11 PM (the Electropolis Museum extends until midnight). Admission is free in almost all participating museums; only the Cité du Train Patrimoine SNCF applies a specific reduced rate (adult €8, child €6), including activities.
Guided tours, photographic exhibitions, workshops and challenges
On the program: unprecedented photographic exhibitions, guided tours by curators, creative workshops around images, fun challenges and thematic routes. Each museum interprets the photographic theme in its own way, in connection with its own collections — industrial heritage for Electropolis, automotive and railway for Schlumpf and the Cité du Train, fine arts for the Musée des Beaux-Arts, contemporary art for the Kunsthalle, etc.
Programme Mulhouse European Night of Museums 2026
The ten participating museums in 2026
- Cité du Train — Patrimoine SNCF (Mulhouse) — specific reduced rate
- Musée National de l'Automobile — Collection Schlumpf (Mulhouse)
- Musée Electropolis (Mulhouse) — extended opening until midnight
- Musée de l'Impression sur Étoffes (Mulhouse)
- Musée des Beaux-Arts (Mulhouse)
- Musée Historique (Mulhouse)
- Musée du Papier Peint (Rixheim)
- Écomusée d'Alsace (Ungersheim)
- Grange à Bécanes (Bantzenheim)
- Musée de la Mine et de la Potasse (Wittelsheim)
The detailed program museum by museum is published on m2a.fr.
Highlights Mulhouse European Night of Museums 2026
- 22nd edition of the European Night of Museums
- Saturday, May 23, 2026, from 2 PM to 11 PM (midnight for Electropolis)
- Free admission to 9 out of 10 museums (Cité du Train: €8 adult / €6 child)
- 2026 Theme: « Ten museums, a thousand perspectives » — bicentenary of photography
- New photographic exhibitions in each museum
- Photo contest: 18 creations by amateurs and professionals exhibited
- Guided tours, creative workshops, fun challenges, thematic routes
Prices Mulhouse European Night of Museums 2026
Practical information — Mulhouse European Night of Museums
Access and transport
The European Night of Museums takes place simultaneously in ten museums spread across the Mulhouse agglomeration and the Sundgau. Some city-center museums are accessible on foot or by tram, while others (Écomusée, Grange à Bécanes, Mine de Potasse) require a car.
- By tram: Soléa Lines 1, 2, and 3 serve the city-center museums (Beaux-Arts, Historique, Kunsthalle, Impression sur Étoffes).
- By train: Mulhouse Station (TGV from Paris in 2h40, from Strasbourg in 50 minutes).
- By car: Mulhouse-Centre exit on A36. Parking available near the museums.
- Shuttles: Depending on the edition, m2A organizes free shuttles between the most distant museums; consult the official program.
Hours
The event is held on the Saturday in May closest to the 18th, generally from 2 PM to 11 PM (some museums extend until midnight, notably the Musée Electropolis).
Prices
Free admission to almost all participating museums. Only the Cité du Train Patrimoine SNCF applies a specific reduced rate (adult 8 € instead of 16 €, child 6 € instead of 12 €), animations included.
To prepare your visit
The detailed program, museum by museum, is published a few weeks before the event on the official m2A website and relayed by the magazine m2A le mag (mag.mulhouse-alsace.fr).
Contact
Mulhouse Alsace Agglomération (m2A) — 2 rue Pierre et Marie Curie, 68100 Mulhouse — m2a.fr
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Where does it take place — Mulhouse European Night of Museums
Musées Mulhouse Sud Alsace — lieux multiples
Dix musées de l'agglomération mulhousienne, 68100 Mulhouse