Vibrat Museum of Art

About

Bibracte occupies the summit of Mont Beuvray in the Morvan region of Burgundy, straddling the border between the Nièvre and Saône-et-Loire départements. It flourishes from the late 2nd century BCE through the 1st century BCE as the capital of the Gallic Aedui, whom Julius Caesar describes in his Commentaries on the Gallic War as holding 'by far the largest and richest city' of the tribe. The site preserves roughly 200 hectares of remains. Excavations begin in 1867 under Jacques-Gabriel Bulliot, backed by Napoleon III, and continue from 1895 to 1907 under Joseph Déchelette. After a long hiatus, digging resumes in 1984 at the initiative of President François Mitterrand, and the European Archaeology Center is established in 1989. The Bibracte museum, designed by architect Pierre-Louis Faloci, opens in 1996. The site is listed as a French historical monument in 1984 and receives the 'Grand Site de France' label in December 2007.