Since 1888, the history of Saint-Amand-Montrond has been deeply linked with this of gold and jewelry. La Maison de l’Or is a museographical space which is a testimony of this history, a promotion tool for local know-hows but also a tribute to the precious metal that gold is, symbol of all richness, mover of all human adventures. Nothing makes one dream more than gold. Through different spaces and rooms la Maison de l’Or gives you the opportunity to discover the mysteries of this myth.

	Gold rushes are probably the best example to attest of passions that this metal can create among human beings. The entrance of the museum is similar to going down a mine. A huge picture is showing miners getting ready to enter the abyss. A reconstruction of a mine gallery entrance is there to create the atmosphere. The visitor enters the heart of the world of gold. In order to illustrate the gold diggers’ life and the adventure they went through, a selection of slides presents pictures of those times. The myth of gold is also linked to jewels, ornament of women for centuries. Five screens show pictures of women from the 5 continents wearing their most beautiful jewels.

	The optical theater is a very old technique. It has been modernized and updated and it now allows the audience to see virtual characters of life- size in a real scenery. Thus the audience has the feeling to be in a real theater, the actors being themselves virtual. The show lasts about 10 mn and is treated on a burlesque way. It evokes the legends and realities of jewelry in Saint-Amand-Montrond. A little girl named Laure is rummaging in her grand-mother’s attic. She finds a gold necklace and suddenly appears John Orca, a wizard, a gold digger, a storyteller. He tells her his life and a reviewed version of the history of jewelry in Saint-Amand-Montrond. Then Laure’s grand-mother arrives and she is the one that relates the true story. This show is exceptional and the only one of this kind in France.

	Coming out of the optical theater the visitor enters the reality of gold. Activities and know-how related to gold are diverse and numerous. Three choices are offered to the visitor after the optical theater. Looking like a safe with metallic light, this room presents Saint-Amand-Montrond’s collection of precious objects: jewels, pre-colombian masks, nuggets from Canada or Papua new guinea, gold flakes from the Dordogne coins. In the middle of a river, among gutters and woods, the visitor learns all about the history and techniques of gold-washing in France and in the world. The visitor penetrates the center of the earth’s crust and learns how to discover gold veins in the soil, in which proportion and how it can be exploited.
	The visit goes on with a panel of other activities. Specialty of Saint-Amand-Montrond, the palm tree link has known and still knows an important success. From the ingot melting down up to the jewel a huge fresco shows the gestures needed to create this jewel. Each stage is animated with the tools corresponding and with the jewel as it is at the different moments. To show a different process of jewel making, lost wax casting is explained with a diaporama. Engraving is the third technique to create jewels. A mould and a pattern cut out the form with which the artisan will work. Without a designer there would be no jewel. His only working tools are a pencil and a sheet of paper. His office is decorated with numerous drawings made by students of the jewelry school Jean Guéhenno.
	Gold is differently used in numerous artistic crafts. It is used as decoration for China, sculpture or bookbinding, as raw material for fabric. These uses are illustrated with a coffee set, a book, tissues dating from the XVIII century, a black wood Virgin covered with gold sheets. Gold is also used in a less artistic way for its exceptional physical and chemical properties. A video explains why and how industry, medicine, building industry, science need gold and what is done with it. Who has never dreamt of owning gold ! For some people this desire became an obsession and drove them to the most incredible and daring actions. That is what happened for the pirate and the alchemist. The pirate used to attack galleons to steal Spanish gold. His treasure is to be found in la Maison de l’Or. As for the alchemist he has hopelessly tried to transmute lead into gold thanks to the philosopher’s stone. His hopes were vain but his den is recreated and can be observed through loopholes.
	3 interactive units give the visitor the opportunity to go further into his knowing about gold. • The Geologist Here you get to know where in the earth gold can be found, why and how it is extracted and how you can turn a mass of earth into a gold ingot. • Gold and Money For a very long time gold had been a standard for money. This unit explains why and how money was created, how it evolved, why gold became the standard and why it is not it anymore. • The Chemist Understanding the physical and chemical properties of gold is understanding part of its richness. Easy to use, amusing but nevertheless complete this units presents a comparison between the reactions of gold and other metals. It explains why gold is malleable, ductile, fast… All the aspects of gold cannot be treated in one single exhibition. This room gives us the opportunity to punctually deal with the large diversity of themes related to gold. This room fitted out with workbenches and multimedia facilities receive groups of visitors who want to know more about gold and to work with metal. It is also the opportunity for jewelers to demonstrate their know-how.