The 1001 Roots Museum occupies a converted former textile factory in the centre of Cornimont. It holds more than 1,000 works on about 500 m2 on one level: roots, branches and stumps that the Vosges artist Michel Maurice gathered in the forest and let speak for themselves. It is an indoor outing, accessible to pushchairs and wheelchairs, a few kilometres from La Bresse.
Michel Maurice and his roots
Michel Maurice (1937-2014) was born in Cornimont. He left school the day before his 14th birthday to work in the textile factory where his parents already worked, and he remained a factory worker throughout his working life. For 57 years he walked the surrounding forests looking for natural shapes that suggested characters, animals, flowers and fairy-tale scenes. The 2018 Guide du Routard nicknamed him the Vosges “Facteur Cheval”, the museum website recalls.
His principle was to reveal rather than carve: he spotted in dead wood what the website calls pareidolias, the shapes that an attentive eye takes for a face or an animal, and he underlined their movement. A first museum of 500 m2, built with his family behind the house, opened in 1986. At his death, the collection numbered more than 1,400 roots. An association has kept it alive since, with the support of the municipality. The visit comes with an original soundtrack by Marc Namblard, the museum announces.
Opening times in All Saints’ 2026
The museum opens from 10am to noon and from 2pm to 6pm. Last admissions are accepted at 11.30am and 5.30pm. The closing day changes with the school holidays:
| Period | Closed on |
|---|---|
| Until 18 October | Tuesday |
| 19 October to 1 November | Saturday |
| 2 November to 20 December | Tuesday |
The museum is open on public holidays, except Christmas and New Year, including on its usual closing day. For Saturday 17 October, the first day of the holidays, the sources contradict each other (the grid of the museum listing shows open, while the text of that listing, the museum’s own opening times page and the grid of the current exhibition say the museum is closed on Saturdays during the school holidays): call +33 3 29 23 95 74 if that is your visiting day.
For November, the tourist office listing still cites an annual closure from 12 November to 9 December 2025, dated from last year, and its 2026 grid shows no closure over that period. A phone call before the trip settles the question.
2026 prices and Pass Musées
Admission is free under 10, 3 euros from 10 to 16 and 6 euros from 16. Groups of 15 or more pay 3 euros per person, and members of the association (10 euros per year) enter free. The museum accepts bank cards, cheques and cash.
The Pass Musées is free. It links the 1001 Roots, the Ventron textile museum, the Saulxures-sur-Moselotte wood museum and the Terrae Genesis geology centre: from the second site visited, visitors over 16 get a preferential price. The pass page does not publish the amount, so ask at the ticket desk.
Currently: Jean-Marc Meyer’s pareidolias
Since 27 September 2026, the museum has been showing the photo exhibition by Jean-Marc Meyer, a photographer originally from Alsace, devoted to natural pareidolias: trees taking animal shapes, roots, stumps, rocks looking like faces. It can be seen during the museum’s usual days and hours. No end date is published.
Access and practical advice
The museum is at 23 route de Lansauchamp, in Cornimont. One car park is reserved for cars, with a disabled space opposite the entrance, and another for coaches. Individual and family visits need no booking; groups notify by phone. Pets are not admitted, except assistance animals. Photography is allowed, with or without flash.
To plan the day, see the village guide to Cornimont, the Ventron textile museum, Terrae Genesis in Le Syndicat and our ideas for a rainy day in La Bresse. The All Saints’ agenda also lists a play in Cornimont on 24 October.
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Frequently asked questions
What are the opening times of the 1001 Roots Museum during the All Saints' holidays?
From 10am to noon and from 2pm to 6pm, every day except Saturday, according to the museum website and the tourist office grid for 19 October to 1 November 2026. Last admissions are at 11.30am and 5.30pm.
How much is admission?
Free under 10, 3 euros from 10 to 16, 6 euros from 16, according to the museum's 2026 price page.
Do you need to book?
Not for individual and family visits. Groups book by phone on +33 3 29 23 95 74.
Is the museum accessible by wheelchair or with a pushchair?
Yes. The museum is on one level, with wide aisles, adapted toilets and a disabled parking space opposite the entrance, according to its access page.