AKPINAR RUSTEM

This independent museum is quite a hidden gem for anyone with an interest in the world wars. It packs in an amazing amount of memorabilia and artefacts, displayed with passion and genuine interest. Less crowded than more famous spots this museum gives visitors time and space to engage with the exhibits and these tragic wars. It is located next to a small Carrefour, so is also a convenient spot to stop on longer journeys.

Great, quaint museum. Awesome collection of 1st and 2nd WW memorabilia, equipment, guns, tanks, cars and so much more. You get a printed self follow guide at the start and you make your way through several scenes of both wars made to be as realistic as possible. This is more of a "what war looked and felt like" rather than the history and reasons of the wars. Very well set up and cheap at only €8. Highly recommend if you're a war buff.

What can I say? Incredible museum, ran by family and friends who are so passionate about the great wars, and keeping local history alive where it is found. My partner and I asked some questions in the shop (more or less everything for sale is original - not reproduction) and it led to hours of chatting with the owner and his son, discussing finds and how the museum curated its items. We were meant to go on to a champagne house afterwards, but enjoyed this museum so much we decided to ditch the champagne and stay here! Wonderful asset to Fismes and good luck with continuing this brilliant museum!

I came to Fismes because I knew my great great grandfather fought and received a Purple Heart with the Pennsylvania 28th infantry in Fismes. I had no expectations of what the small town could offer for someone like me looking to simply connect with their family history. I was simply looking for an interesting day trip from Paris with my family to show them where our ancestor fought, and my kids like history. A few days before I went I did some searching for things to do and saw the museum as an option and figured we’d give it a shot. My post won’t do justice to how blown away we were with our visit to the museum. I’ve been to a lot of history museums (Smithsonians, Natl WW2 in NOLA etc) and I’d put this museum right up there with the best of them. It’s small but extremely well done. The attention to detail the curators and refurbishers put into it is top notch. The best part isn’t just the exhibits and the equipment, it’s the stories of the soldiers and connection directly to Fismes that puts this place above others I’ve been to. At the end of the visit we mentioned to the staff that my g-gfather was in the PA 28th and they essentially dropped everything to talk to me. Their adoration for the unit is genuine and heartwarming. We later learned that the museum is run by family and their friends and they receive no funding from any government sources. It’s a passion project and it shows. When we left my son told them that it was better than The Louvre. Thank you to Robin and the entire crew at the museum. Keep up the great work. You are truly providing an amazing experience and service to the world.

Great unexpected experience! I was passing by and stopped to Aldi just to buy some French bread when I saw this museum on Google maps. So I said „why not“! What a story inside! Everything is done very well, you feel like you are truly in the middle of the battle. Lighting, smell, atmosphere, sounds… just amazing! There is also small souvenir shop within the museum. I bought a military lamp that wasn’t working but staff was more than helpful so this small issue were fixed in 5 minutes. I recommend this place!

Excellent little museum with a mixture of both wars. A lot to see from tanks, to guns, mixture of countries uniforms, showing how soldiers survived in the wars. Great place to visit if you’re interested in war history

Amazing museum full of well prepared exhibitions and there's room where you can feel like in trenches. They've also got a shop with original equipment and accessories from both world wars.

Amazing place a must see… well laid out everyone is super friendly. So good to see history and stories being told. Remembering all the sacrifices.