Emblematic monument of Luxeuil-les-Bains and one of the oldest museums in France. The Tour des Échevins de Luxeuil attracts attention with its Gothic architecture. Located at the highest point of the city, its summit dominates the landscape and offers a breathtaking view of Luxeuil.
Built in the 15th century by one of the most important families of Luxeuil, the Jouffroy family , the Tour des Échevins has become an emblem of the city. It takes its name from the municipal magistrates responsible for assisting the mayor, the échevins, who rented the building in the Middle Ages in order to hold council. More than 30 meters high, this former town hall also served as a watchtower in times of unrest in order to warn the population of danger. Bought by the city in 1552, and listed since 1862, it successively occupied the functions of archives center, civil prison, library, and antiquities repository which led to the creation of the museum of archaeology in 1865.
A true memory of our past, the archaeological collections offer us a glimpse of life in Luxeuil in the past. Many excavation campaigns have taken place in the town since the 17th century, revealing a large number of remains. Two rooms are dedicated to these discoveries in the museum. A large collection of Gallo-Roman funerary steles from the 1st and 3rd centuries bears witness to burials in Antiquity. Ceramic work is presented through the pottery kilns discovered in Châtigny between 1978 and 1988, highlighting the local production of sealed ceramics and common ceramics.