Ger: A pottery-making history in Normandy

Ger and its pottery-making history

For several centuries, Ger was one of Normandy’s most important pottery-making centres, known for its stoneware production. This history offers a tangible cultural focus when choosing a destination for its craft traditions. In Ger, this includes pottery production and its scale, the pottery hamlet of Placître, and the Musée de la céramique – Centre de création. Each topic offers a different perspective: production figures describe the work, the walking tour takes you through a historic hamlet, and the museum collection preserves ceramics and tools. The town’s history can thus be understood through both its craft and its buildings and objects.

Production and historical scale

From the 14th century to the beginning of the 20th century, artisans in Ger produced sturdy stoneware pots for storing food on an industrial scale. In 1840, Ger had 21 pottery workshops and more than 700 specialised workers. These figures shed light on two aspects of the scale of the industry at the time: the number of workshops and the extent of specialised labour. The last firing at the pottery hamlet of Placître took place in 1919. The three dates answer different questions: how long pottery production continued, the scale of the trade in 1840, and when the last firing took place at the pottery hamlet of Placître.

The pottery hamlet of Placître

The walking tour at the Musée de la céramique – Centre de création takes you through a pottery hamlet of around a dozen buildings. The Veron and Esneu families built these buildings between the 16th and 19th centuries. Unlike the production figures, the tour focuses on the architectural setting of pottery-making.

Collection and museum programme

The Musée de la céramique – Centre de création preserves nearly 3,000 pieces from Ger, the Bessin and the Cotentin, as well as tools used to make these ceramics. The collection and tools offer two perspectives on the craft: the objects themselves and the means used to make them. Ger, the Bessin and the Cotentin are three named places of origin; the collection therefore includes pieces from beyond Ger. This distinguishes its regional scope from the walking tour, which takes visitors through the local pottery hamlet.

The museum offers family workshops during school holidays, as well as training for professionals and beginners. The formats differ by audience: family workshops are scheduled during school holidays, while the training is aimed at both professionals and beginners. Dates may vary, so check which workshops or training sessions fall within your travel dates before your trip. To choose which perspective interests you, you can distinguish between them as follows: the production figures offer insight into the scale of the industry, the walking tour takes you through the hamlet, the collection comprises ceramics and tools, and the workshops complement the programme as a separate format.

Discover more destinations: Blainville Sur Mer, Auxais, Brucheville, Le Mesnilbus, Pierreville, Coulouvray-Boisbenâtre, Varenguebec, Beslon.

For the broader travel overview: Manche.