Voodoo Castle, African religious artifacts museum in Strasbourg, France.
Voodoo Castle is a museum housed in a converted 19th-century water tower in Strasbourg where visitors encounter ritual objects, masks, statues, and ceremonial items arranged in rooms that explain their purpose and meaning. The collection spans hundreds of pieces gathered to illustrate the full scope of West African religious practices and their material expressions.
Marc and Marie Luce Arbogast spent decades gathering objects before opening this space to the public in 2014. Their work preserved an important collection that might otherwise have been lost or remained unknown outside West Africa.
The exhibits feature ritual objects and sacred items that reveal how West African spiritual beliefs shape daily practices and ceremonies in their communities. Visitors gain insight into religions often misrepresented in popular culture by seeing authentic examples and understanding their genuine meaning.
The museum is open from Tuesday through Sunday and provides audio guides in multiple languages to enhance your visit. Plan to spend an hour or two exploring the rooms at your own pace and reading the explanations accompanying each piece.
This is the largest private collection of West African religious objects outside their origin countries, offering a scope rarely found elsewhere. The historic water tower structure that houses the museum adds another layer of interest to what visitors come to see.
Location: Strasbourg
Website: https://chateau-vodou.com
GPS coordinates: 48.58040,7.72864
Latest update: December 6, 2025 17:42
France hosts monuments that go beyond common tourist routes. Individual creations like Ferdinand Cheval's Palais Idéal in Hauterives, built stone by stone over 33 years, sit alongside architectural reconversions like the Molitor Pool in Paris or the Contemporary Art Museum set in a 17th-century manor in Saint-Romain-au-Mont-d'Or. These sites reflect unique stories and urban transformations worth exploring. This selection includes themed museums dedicated to magic in Blois, mechanical instruments at La Borde, fairground arts in Paris, and firefighters in Montville. It also features total art works like the Maison Picassiette in Chartres, entirely decorated with ceramic mosaics, and the Robert Tatin Museum in Cossé-le-Vivien. From Montmartre cemetery where Degas and Zola are buried to works by self-taught artists, these monuments offer different perspectives on French heritage and deserve a visit to explore lesser-known facets of the territory.
In Strasbourg, each step crosses several centuries of history. You walk from medieval alleys lined with half-timbered houses to glass buildings housing European institutions. The cathedral, 142 meters high, has dominated the city since the Middle Ages, while modern structures along the Rhine reflect the city’s European role. The sound of bells blends with tram noise, and the smell of gingerbread drifts through the contemporary administrative districts.
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