Musée de la Compagnie des Indes, Maritime history museum in Port-Louis, France
The Musée de la Compagnie des Indes is a maritime museum in Port-Louis displaying artifacts, ship models, trade goods, and documents from the French East India Company. The rooms systematically present objects that merchants and sailors used during their voyages between Europe, Africa, Asia, and America.
The museum was founded in 1984 and preserves the legacy of French maritime trade from the 17th through 18th centuries through its collections. It documents the era when French merchants traveled the world and built commerce networks spanning multiple continents.
The collection displays furniture, porcelain, and objects from Africa, Asia, and America that reflect how merchants and traders lived daily. You can see how people across different parts of the world connected through commerce and what goods they valued most.
The museum is closed on Tuesdays and public holidays, so check the official site for seasonal hours before travelling. It occupies rooms inside the citadel of Port-Louis, opposite the national maritime museum, and the 2007 redesigned route leads visitors through the collections in a set order.
The museum holds the only collection in France devoted to the East India companies. Look for the Chinese Tang-dynasty mingqi camel, which recalls the caravans crossing Central Asia, and the ellipsoidal-baldaquin bed made by an Indian craftsman for the Pondicherry period room. A room also covers the 1746 wreck of the Prince de Conty off Brittany, excavated by the DRASSM.
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