Bartholdi & the Statue of Liberty

Frédéric Auguste Bartholdi was born in this house on 2 August 1834, and Colmar has never let visitors forget that one of its sons designed the most recognisable monument on earth. The museum's central draw is the Statue of Liberty story, told through the artist's own working materials: preparatory models, technical drawings, and photographs documenting how a 46-metre copper colossus was conceived, fundraised, fabricated in Paris, and shipped in 350 pieces to New York for its 1886 dedication.

The official name of the statue — Liberty Enlightening the World — was Bartholdi's gift commemorating the alliance between France and the United States. Inside the museum you can trace the design's evolution and see how Bartholdi tested proportions at small scale before committing to the full monument, including studies of details as specific as Liberty's face and crown. It is a rare chance to stand inside the creative process behind a global icon, in the modest Alsatian townhouse where its maker grew up.

Want the fuller backstory before you visit? Read our companion guide to the Statue of Liberty and Bartholdi in Colmar.

What's Inside

The collection spreads across three floors of the historic house, organised around Bartholdi's life and career rather than the Statue of Liberty alone. Beyond the Liberty room, you will find the sculptor's other major commissions — most famously the Lion of Belfort, the colossal sandstone lion carved into the cliff below Belfort's citadel, represented here through models and studies. Monuments Bartholdi designed for Colmar and other French cities are documented too, giving a sense of just how prolific he was.

Look for sculptures, paintings, drawings, and photographs that round out the portrait of a 19th-century artist at work, plus personal items from the Bartholdi household. In the courtyard stands the bronze group Les Grands Soutiens du Monde (1889), three figures representing work, patriotism, and justice supporting a globe. The house itself — an elegant 18th-century townhouse bequeathed to Colmar by Bartholdi's widow on the condition that it become a museum — is part of the experience, and it carries the official "Musée de France" and "Maisons des Illustres" designations.

Give yourself about an hour to ninety minutes. If you are pairing it with other galleries, see our overview of Colmar's museums — Unterlinden and Bartholdi.

Tickets & Hours

Admission (2026): A full-price adult ticket is €5, with a reduced rate of €4 for seniors (65+), teachers, and students with a valid card. Entry is free for under-18s, for current students, and for visitors with reduced mobility plus one companion. The museum also opens free on a handful of special dates each year — including European Museum Night, European Heritage Days (Journées du Patrimoine), and the 4th of July, fittingly enough for the home of Liberty's sculptor.

Opening hours (2026): The museum is open Tuesday to Sunday, 10:00–12:00 and 14:00–18:00, with a midday break. It is closed on Mondays, and closed for the entire month of January — the single most important thing to check before planning a winter trip. It is also shut on 1 May, 1 November, 25 December, and 1 January, and closes early (around 15:30) on 24 and 31 December. The ticket desk stops selling about 30 minutes before closing, so arrive by 17:30 for the afternoon session.

Getting There

The Musée Bartholdi sits at 30 Rue des Marchands, deep in Colmar's pedestrian old town and an easy walk from almost anywhere central. From the Colmar train station it is roughly a 15-minute walk east into the historic core, or a short ride on a local bus toward the centre. The museum is just a couple of minutes on foot from the Koïfhus (Old Custom House) and the canals of Little Venice, so it folds naturally into a half-day wander through the old quarter.

Driving into the centre is discouraged — the old town is largely pedestrianised — so use one of the signposted car parks on the ring and walk in. For everything else worth seeing nearby, start with our full guide to things to do in Colmar, and consider pairing the visit with the city's great art collection at the Musée Unterlinden a few minutes away.

Explore More of Colmar

• Things to Do in Colmar — the full city guide.
• The Statue of Liberty & Bartholdi in Colmar — the full Liberty backstory.
• Colmar Museums: Unterlinden & Bartholdi — how the two compare.
• Musée Unterlinden — Colmar's great art collection nearby.