The Le Vergeur Museum is located in the center of Reims on the Forum square. The Roman forum (Criptoportique) was discovered only in 1922, and before that there was a covered market. Therefore, already in the Middle ages around the square were built the houses of the rich citizens.
The Le Vergeur house, in fact, combines three houses standing close to each other. The oldest part of the house was built in the 12th century, and it is well preserved. The other part was built in the 16th century with Renaissance elements. Overall, the building looks authentic. It has features of the French architectural style, as well as half-timbering.
In the 16th century, this house was owned by Nicolas de Le Vergeur. He was a rich bourgeois, a merchant, and the exhibition was named after him. Sometimes this Museum is called the "House of the Bourgeois". In the 19th century, this house was owned by the Widow Clicquot, the founder of one of the most famous houses of Champagne. During the World War I, the house was significantly damaged, and it was subsequently purchased by the French traveler and photographer Hugo Kraft. On his initiative, a Museum was created here.
In the Le Vergeur Museum you can see the interiors of the house in the 16th century. The private collection of Hugo Kraft presents exhibits from ancient times to the present day. The Museum is particularly proud of 50 works by Albrecht Durer made on wood. There are exhibits from the Middle East and Asia that Hugo Kraft brought back from his travels.
