Bell Museum

History of the Paccard bell

In 1796, a blacksmith from Quintal near Annecy was commissioned to make a new bell to replace that of the village church destroyed during the Revolution. To carry out his mission, Antoine Paccard called on a professional founder, Jean Baptiste Pitton.The finished work is a success which delights the inhabitants of this village in the French Alps. The blacksmith then discovers a new passion. He decided to learn the trade and start his own business: thus was born the Paccard bell foundry. Antoine Paccard transmits this love to his sons, so that the family business will last. In the middle of the 19th century, the foundry moved to Annecy-le-Vieux to take advantage of the many advantages offered by the arrival of the railway. The new owners of the Paccard family introduce innovative techniques for making attractive design bells with optimal acoustic quality. The foundry is gaining notoriety and deliveries go beyond the national territory, with nearly 800 bells delivered each year at the end of the 19th century.

Several jewels came out of the Paccard foundry: the Savoyarde in 1891 (the largest bell in France), the Jeanne-d'Arc in 1914 intended for the cathedral of Rouen, more than 50 bells for the American government in the 1950s, a bell offered to Pope John Paul II and another placed in the Basilica of the Visitation of Annecy in the 1980s. Today, the Paccard foundry is one of the three bell foundries installed in France.

Visit the bell museum

The visit to the bell foundry and the Paccard museum will undoubtedly be one of the essentials of your camping stay in Annecy. Note that the visit is accessible to all ages and to all visitors, including people with reduced mobility. You can choose from the formulas that suit you:

Self-guided tour: A route divided into several rooms to learn all about the history of the foundry, manufacturing techniques, the sound of bells, watchmaking and the most beautiful cast models.

Guided tour of the workshops: A unique experience focused on the manufacture of bells and the techniques used by the founders (molding, casting, tuning).
Guided tour of the museum: the same route as the free visit, with the guide's explanations which make the visit more attractive and more educational.
Prestige Tour: a personalized welcome, a tasting of local products, and access to all areas of the museum and the foundry.
Excellence visit: all the services of the Prestige visit with, at an additional cost, a night flow to treat molten metal.

Good to know: the Paccard foundry is the only bell foundry in the world that combines the sound of its bells with voices and instruments.

Prices and schedules

Opening hours and prices for admission to the Paccard Museum depend on the type of visit and the time of year.

Free visit: € 7 per person, all year round and every day except Thursday.
Guided tour of the workshops: € 10.50 per person, from Friday to Sunday in April in October, every day in July and August.
Commented visit of the museum: € 10.50 per person, visit by reservation on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Fridays.
Prestige Tour: 25 € (2 hours minimum)
Visit Excellence: to consult (2 hours minimum)
Educational visits: Unaccompanied visit € 4.50, guided workshop visit € 7, guided tour of the museum € 7.
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