The Auxonne Museum was founded in 1863 by Jean-Baptiste Paget-Pontus ; it was originally a small painting museum whose collections grew thanks to donations or deposits by Auxonnais of souvenirs of Bonaparte’s stay in Auxonne (1788-1791). In 1879, the museum moved into a large building in the main street, where it remained until 1970. In 1949 it was renamed the Musée Bonaparte.
In 1970, the Museum moved to the Tour Notre-Dame in the Château and, due to a lack of space, its weapons collection was transferred to the Museum of the 511th Train Regiment in the historic barracks of Auxonne.
The Museum was cramped in a three-storey artillery tower, served by a single spiral staircase, and is now looking for a more accessible location to better display its collections, many of which are in storage.
