Musee Massena

The Musée Masséna, located on the Promenade des Anglais, Nice, is one of the last elegant mansions of the 19th century. The museum offers an insight in the history of Nice through thematic and chronological evidence displayed on the first two floors.

The heritage of Nice is chronologically presented from 1792 to 1939 on the first and second floors. The library of Cessole, containing thousands of documents on the histories of the County of Nice, Provence, Savoy, and Italy du Nord, is housed on the third and top floors. Napoleon's death mask was created by Dr Arnolt, Josephine's mother-of-pearl tiara, the gold, pearls, and colourful stones that Murat gave to the Empress, and the book written by the Prefect Liegeard, are among the exhibits. A scenography that incorporates graphic arts, furniture, and era items, especially history, is used in all the pieces. In the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, a revolutionary landscape architect created a historic garden for the museum next to the renowned hotel Negresco and overlooks the Promenade des Anglais. The public entrance is towards the north of the museum.