On view nowHenry-Louis Pernod, a visionary
Until 7 March 2027
Les Absinthiades reviennent à Pontarlier pour leur 24e édition, placée sous le thème « L’Absinthe et les Artistes ». Deux jours de dégustations, expositions, conférences, rencontres et découvertes autour de l’absinthe et de son patrimoine.
One-day regional absinthe festival — sixteen distilleries open their doors for tastings and guided tours, followed by an evening at Parc Girardier in Môtiers with food, cocktails, concerts and DJ sets until 4 a.m. 2026 edition (second edition of the renewed format).
The Maison de l'Absinthe took part in the 23rd edition of the Absinthiades de Pontarlier, celebrating both the 110th anniversary of the French ban (1915) and the 20th anniversary of Swiss relegalization (2005). The programme included author meetings, lectures, tastings and distillery visits.
Scientific lecture by botanist Blaise Mulhauser questioning the geographical origin of Artemisia absinthium: does grande wormwood really come from the Jura? A discussion on the identity and terroir built by two centuries of distillation expertise in the Val-de-Travers.
The 2025 edition of Absinthe en Fête, with a programme centred on women's role in absinthe history and the museum's giant absinthe fountain.
Immersive evening exploring absinthe through the five senses, with interactive entertainment, a live electro-rock concert and an optional themed dinner (CHF 100 per person). Free museum entry; event on 17 May 2025, 5 p.m. to midnight.
Evening presentation of Nina S. Studer's book on the colonial history of absinthe in North Africa — from purifying remedy to cultural phenomenon — with a nuanced reading of its impact on local populations. Book launch on 20 March 2025 at 6 p.m.
March commemorating the Neuchâtel Revolution of 1848: more than 30 km on foot across the region, with breakfast at the start (8.30 a.m. from the museum), refreshments along the way and absinthe on arrival at the castle. The museum remains open to visitors.
Exhibition around the odyssey of a cargo of absinthe that left Couvet and Pontarlier in 1871 aboard the three-masted vessel Marie-Thérèse, whose bottles were recovered from the seabed in 1991. One surviving bottle is displayed as the centrepiece.
Anniversary day celebrating the museum's tenth year, with the inauguration of the world's largest absinthe fountain, guided tours, tastings and auctions. Ticketing was linked to that of Absinthe en Fête 2024.
The 2024 edition of Absinthe en Fête, with distillery visits and entertainment.
Third edition of the open doors for culture initiative, two days of discovery of the museum across three floors — history, prohibition and the international dimension of absinthe. Free entry as part of a cantonal initiative.
The 2023 edition of Absinthe en Fête. The museum's page had not announced its programme at the time this record was made.
The 2023 edition of the Nuit des musées. The museum's page had not announced its programme at the time this record was made.
The museum opened its temporary and permanent exhibitions free of charge as part of a regional open-doors weekend bringing together more than fifteen cultural institutions. A free guided tour was offered on Sunday 6 November at 4 p.m., by reservation.
Immersive exhibition featuring more than twenty audiovisual testimonies from a valley long lived in clandestinity — historians, artists, distillers and residents tell the story of absinthe. The aim: to preserve the intangible cultural heritage of this regional spirit.
The Maison de l'Absinthe took part in this regional gastronomic walk, organised as part of the Taste Week, offering Neuchâtel specialities — charcuterie, cheeses, wines and absinthe — along an outdoor route. An annual regional event in which the museum participates as a partner.
The 2022 edition of Absinthe en Fête, open 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. with distillery visits and talks, followed by the inauguration of a garden.
The 2022 Nuit des musées, held 14–15 May with children's cookery workshops, and the inauguration of the RTS 'Totem' terminal at the museum.
Interactive sensory exhibition inviting visitors to explore absinthe through sight, smell and taste, through workshops and scientific analysis modules. Developed in collaboration with specialists, it offers recognition games and an educational approach to the composition of absinthe.
Third annual edition of Absinthe Week, a six-day artistic and cultural festival exploring absinthe from multiple angles. The highlight: an exhibition of 19 works by regional artists — paintings, sculptures, engravings and installations — presenting absinthe 'from plant to glass'.
Temporary exhibition bringing together around thirty works by artists from Franche-Comté, primarily paintings by students from the Xavier Marmier secondary school in Pontarlier. The centrepiece: an 8-metre canvas hung in the museum's central light well.
From ten people upward, we hold the guide, the room and the table for your date — and build the schedule around what you came for.
