Exhibition in partnership with the University of Orléans Curatorship: Pierre Allorant and Gaël Rideau
Rediscover the history of the Orléans metropolis thanks to an innovative approach that dispels some prejudices on this territory! The exhibition is based on a collective work entitled La nouvelle histoire d'Orléans, to be published in September 2024 and co-directed by Pierre Allorant, professor of law history, dean of the Faculty of Law and Gaël Rideau, professor of modern history.
Making the history of a city involves taking into account among other sources the work of its predecessors. The stories of Orléans are numerous and plural. Before the 20th century, the will was not to make a scientific and rigorous history, but the texts oscillated between preserving the memory of an event, justifying an action or glorifying a character, giving a oriented reading of the city, or even defending an identity. Thus, many traits have been transmitted from generation to generation, some challenged by work based on sources.
The exhibition will highlight the collections of the Archives du Loiret that were used to develop the book and will present in preview the contents of the latter. A focus will be made in the exhibition to celebrate the 80th anniversary of the Liberation of Orléans (16 August 1944).