The town of Seyre near Nailloux preserves the memory of some one hundred German Jewish children who stayed here. They stayed from the summer of 1940 to the spring of 1941 and left lively drawings on the walls of the Château’s outbuildings.

Having become orphans after Kristallnacht and the wave of anti-Semitic actions that swept over Nazi Germany, many German Jewish children sought refuge in England, Belgium and France, where they were taken care of by charitable organisations.

Driven out of Belgium by the Wehrmacht’s offensive of May 1940, one hundred of them between the ages of 3 and 15 travelled for six days in cattle cars to Villefranche de Lauragais and then Seyre (10 km south of Villefranche de Lauragais and 4 km from Nailloux).

Upon their arrival, the mayor of Seyre and the owner of the Château and its outbuildings, Mr Capèle, took charge of them; at the time the latter held a high position in the French Red Cross.

The refugees’ living conditions were very modest for the eighty-five people (children and their caregivers): two rooms, a kitchen and toilets in the courtyard, no water and no heating.

Finding supplies was the main problem. The Swiss Red Cross, with which Mr Capel d'Hautpoul had contacts, sent sugar and powdered milk, but most of the food had to be found on site, which was very difficult. The basic foodstuff was boiled maize, called milla. The harsh winter of 1940-1941 led the Swiss Red Cross to find more comfortable lodgings for them.

The Château de La Hille in Ariège was chosen. On the walls of the village and the building, which is still called “the orphanage” to this day, the children left several colour drawings, such a the “Little Pigs”, a cat with a violin, the church and a watermill.

Town Hall

31560 Seyre

Tel.: +33 (0)5.62.71.26.25

Located in the historical centre of Muret, the Clément Ader museum, a State-controlled establishment, invites visitors to discover the rich local heritage.

The city, 25 km south of Toulouse, former capital of Comminges, pays homage to the "Father of Aviation" and to the most famous local inhabitants, such as Nicolas Dalayrac, Adolphe Niel and Vincent Auriol. Associated with the municipal archive department and the library, it is a place dedicated to discovery, research and exchanges.

At the end of the 19th century, a few local scholars donated a number of items to the town of Muret, thus constituting the base of the first collections. Vincent Auriol, Mayor of Muret from 1925 to 1940, set up a museum programme to promote the cultural and historical heritage of the town and its surroundings. He decided to carry out an acquisition campaign to complete the initial collection. He pushed a policy in favour of donations and State deposits. This is how the Ader and Niel collections came to join the museum, and in 1928, the new museum acquired two paintings by François Louis Dejuine (1786-1844): Simon de Montfort and Guy de Lévis Mirepoix.

After being renovated, Château Saint-Germier was used as the setting for the first Muret museum: the "Musée du Bas-Comminges", inaugurated on 21st September 1930. The collections are presented in four areas: the rooms of Bas-Comminges, Dalayrac-Fons, Niel and Ader. During the Second World War, one of the ceilings collapsed, destroying part of the collections and causing the establishment to close. It was rehabilitated in the 1950s by Robert Mesuret, curator of the Toulouse museum. The institution was thus set up in the town hall. The second museum was inaugurated on 9th December 1954 and was named the "Musée Clément Ader".

The first inventory was carried out by Marthe Moisserand, voluntary curator between 1956 and 1973. Between 1971 and 1983, due to a lack of suitable premises, the museum was closed to the public, pending completion of work to build the new Muret Town Hall, at 27 rue Castelvieh, where the rooms were arranged to house the collections on a temporary basis.

In 1992, the archaeological gallery showed the wealth of the Muret's heritage.

On 29th June 2002, at last, the Musée Clément Ader opend at 58 rue Clément Ader.

The permanent exhibition then developed on one level covering 200 m2. When they first arrive, visitors meet the region's celebrities, before becoming familiar with local archaeology. The collection of Clément Ader (1841-1925), the "Father of aviation", includes furniture from the inventor's office, patents and plans of some of his inventions, personal objects and his library. This collection comes entirely from the donation made by Mrs Clémence de Manthé, Ader's only daughter, to the town of Muret.

The collection of Adolphe Niel (1802-1869), Marshal of France and war minister of Napoleon III, brings together photographs, drawings and etchings, a military atlas, a bust of Gustave Crauck, furniture and personal belongings. It was made from donations from the Marshal's descendants. 

The Vincent Auriol (1884-1966) collection was donated to the museum by his son, Paul Auriol, in 1966. In particular, it presents personal belongings, portraits, medals, etc. The Dalayrac family added to the museum's collection by donating different objects from their ancestor, Nicolas Dalayrac (1753-1809), known for his light operas. It consists mainly of busts, etchings,

instruments, booklets and musical scores. The museum is proud to be able to present, thanks to a State deposit in 1928, two paintings by François Dejuine (1786-1844), who won second prize in the Prix de Rome and was decorated with the Legion of Honour. They are exhibited

in the Salon: Simon de Montfort and Guy de Lévis, lord of Mirepoix. The archaeological area is dedicated to archaeological discoveries in the region of Muret: Bourdaya,

St-Marcet, Cabouillet, La Peyrère. It shows, in chronological order and by theme, artefacts ranging from the Lower Palaeolithic period to the 19th century.

By appointment, the museum's reserve presents other archaeological items and local historical collections. One example is the Guillaume Jbos (1860-1952) collection, an international singer.

This collection, bought from a private person in 1995, contains photographs, stage costumes, musical scores and private documents. The reserve conserves testimonials from other noteworthy Muret inhabitants

such as Gaston and Myriam de Béarn, Jean Decap, and Abbot Lestrade.

The municipal archives, installed inside the museum, conserve a very extensive collection of documents relating to the history of Muret from the Middle Ages to the end of the 1930s:

cadastral maps, debates, civil status documents, etc. These collections, as well as the large collection of photographs and the collection of the local history library, are free to consult in the reading room.

The establishment regularly welcomes school groups, clubs or associations. In this field, the Clément Ader museum wants to improve its policy for receiving young people.

It has set up a learning department in charge of designing and organising actions with different local and national educational and cultural players.

Musée Clément Ader

6 Bd Aristide Briand - 31600 Muret

- Tél. : 05.61.51.91.40 - Fax : 05.61.51.91.41

e-mail : musee@mairie-muret.fr

Postal address: Hôtel de Ville

27, rue Castelvielh

BP 60207 31605 Muret

Mairie de Muret