--- title: "Historial de Beaune: 1918 American Army Hospital Museum" description: "Volunteer-run museum of the 1918 US Army hospital in Beaune, which became a university for American soldiers in 1919. Open a few afternoons a week." url: https://www.cote-privee.com/things-to-do/historial-amitie-franco-americaine-beaune lang: en updated: 2026-09-30 generated: 2026-10-08 image: https://www.cote-privee.com/og/things-to-do/historial-amitie-franco-americaine-beaune.png --- # Franco-American Friendship Museum, Beaune (Historial de l’Amitié Franco-Américaine de Beaune) > Franco-American Friendship Museum, Beaune: a volunteer-run museum on the American army hospital and university camp at Beaune in 1918 and 1919. Franco-American Friendship Museum, Beaune is in Beaune. Allow about 1 hour. In the First World War, Beaune hosted a large American military hospital, built at the edge of town in 1918. After the Armistice it became a university for soldiers of the American Expeditionary Forces. This small museum, run by volunteers, keeps alive the memory of that camp and of Franco-American friendship. ## Key facts - Type: Museums - Location: In Beaune - Coordinates: 47.0295, 4.8615 - In Beaune itself - Allow about 1 hour - Where: [Beaune · Côte-d'Or](https://www.cote-privee.com/villages/beaune) - Official website: [historial-beaune.fr](https://historial-beaune.fr) - In Beaune, where your driver is based. - €290 for a [half-day wine tour](https://www.cote-privee.com/wine-tours/half-day) starting here, up to 4 guests ## Getting there Coming by train or plane? [Transfers from stations and airports](https://www.cote-privee.com/transfers) ## History The United States entered the First World War in 1917, and Beaune became one of the rear bases of the American Expeditionary Forces. Early in 1918 a hospital centre was built on the edge of town to treat soldiers from the front. According to the Historial, 226 American servicemen died there. Their memory, and the friendship between Beaune and the United States, are at the heart of the museum. After the Armistice, American soldiers could not all return home at once. In 1919 the hospital was turned into a university for the expeditionary force, where thousands of soldier-students followed courses while they waited to sail home. Today the Historial stands at the heart of the former American camp and is run entirely by volunteers of the association Les Compagnons de la Mémoire. ## What you will see The museum is small and personal. Uniforms, equipment and authentic military objects from both world wars evoke daily life in the American camp, the work of the hospital and the soldier-students of 1919. The volunteers who run it are glad to share stories and answer questions. It is a moving stop for American visitors and for anyone interested in the First World War. ## Planning your visit Allow about an hour. The Historial opens only on Wednesday and Sunday afternoons, so plan ahead and check the official website for opening times. It lies east of the town centre, a short drive from the Hôtel-Dieu. Groups can arrange a visit in advance with the association. ## Did you know? In 1919 Beaune's American hospital camp was turned into a university, where thousands of American soldiers studied while they waited to be shipped home after the war. ## Around Franco-American Friendship Museum, Beaune What to combine with Franco-American Friendship Museum, Beaune on the same day, nearest first. ### Villages - [Beaune](https://www.cote-privee.com/villages/beaune) (2 km away): The wine capital of Burgundy, with the Hôtel-Dieu, old ramparts and cellars beneath its streets. - [Chorey-lès-Beaune](https://www.cote-privee.com/villages/chorey-les-beaune) (2 km away): A village on the gentle land just north of Beaune, known for supple and fruity reds. - [Aloxe-Corton](https://www.cote-privee.com/villages/aloxe-corton) (4 km away): A small village under the hill of Corton, where Charlemagne once gave away his vines. ### Châteaux - [Château de Beaune](https://www.cote-privee.com/chateaux/chateau-de-beaune) (2 km away): Louis XI's fortress in the Beaune ramparts, now home to the Bouchard Père & Fils wine house. - [Château de Chorey](https://www.cote-privee.com/chateaux/chateau-de-chorey) (2 km away): A moated manor with lone round towers and a dovecote, at the edge of Chorey. - [Château de Challanges](https://www.cote-privee.com/chateaux/chateau-de-challanges) (2 km away): A 19th-century country house in a wooded park south-east of Beaune, now a hotel. ### Things to do - [Shrine of the Child Jesus, Beaune (Sanctuaire de l’Enfant-Jésus de Beaune)](https://www.cote-privee.com/things-to-do/sanctuaire-enfant-jesus-beaune), 1 km away: The former Carmel of Beaune, a place of prayer devoted to the Child Jesus since the 17th century. - [Saint-Nicolas Church, Beaune (Église Saint-Nicolas)](https://www.cote-privee.com/things-to-do/eglise-saint-nicolas-beaune), 1 km away: A Romanesque parish church outside the old walls, with a porch carved with chimeras and a stone spire. - [Fresque de La Grande Vadrouille](https://www.cote-privee.com/things-to-do/fresque-la-grande-vadrouille-beaune) (2 km away): A painted wall in Beaune's old town that recalls the shooting of La Grande Vadrouille in 1966. ### Restaurants - [Clos du Cèdre](https://www.cote-privee.com/restaurants/clos-du-cedre-beaune) (2 km away · 1 MICHELIN star): A winemaker's mansion by Beaune's ramparts, with a starred kitchen and a cellar of over 1,000 wines - [Le Carmin](https://www.cote-privee.com/restaurants/le-carmin-beaune) (2 km away · 1 MICHELIN star): Christophe Quéant's poised, product-first cooking in a Renaissance house on place Carnot - [Table de Levernois](https://www.cote-privee.com/restaurants/table-de-levernois) (4 km away · 1 MICHELIN star): A Relais & Châteaux country house outside Beaune, with its own kitchen garden and 1,800 wines ### Events - **Friday 13 – Sunday 15 November 2026 (Confirmed by the organiser)** · [Vente des Vins des Hospices de Beaune](https://www.cote-privee.com/events/vente-des-vins-hospices-de-beaune): Burgundy's great charity wine auction, first held in 1859 and now staged each November in Beaune's covered halls. (Wine auction · Beaune) - **Saturday 10 – Sunday 11 October 2026 (Confirmed by the organiser)** · [Salon de dégustation Pains Vins Fromages](https://www.cote-privee.com/events/salon-pains-vins-fromages-beaune): Bread, cheese and wine under Beaune's covered halls, run by the town's tourism students. (Food & markets · Beaune) - **Friday 16 – Sunday 18 October 2026 (Confirmed by the organiser)** · [Vignobles en Scène](https://www.cote-privee.com/events/vignobles-en-scene-beaune): An October weekend of one-off wine experiences along the Route des Grands Crus. (Wine festival · Beaune and the Côte de Beaune) - **Friday, 13 November 2026 – Tuesday, 5 January 2027 (Confirmed by the organiser)** · [Lumières à Beaune](https://www.cote-privee.com/events/lumieres-a-beaune): Light projections on Beaune's landmarks, every evening in summer and from the Vente des Vins to early January. (Culture · Beaune) - **Friday 13 – Saturday 14 November 2026 (Confirmed by the organiser)** · [Semi-Marathon de la Vente des Vins de Beaune](https://www.cote-privee.com/events/semi-marathon-vente-des-vins-beaune): Burgundy's best-known half marathon, run through Pommard, Volnay and Meursault on the Vente des Vins weekend. (Sport · Beaune) - **Friday 13 – Saturday 14 November 2026 (Confirmed by the organiser)** · [Fête des Grands Vins de Bourgogne](https://www.cote-privee.com/events/fete-des-grands-vins-de-bourgogne): Every Burgundy appellation in one hall, poured by the growers themselves, on the Vente des Vins weekend. (Wine festival · Beaune) - **Wednesday 2 – Sunday 6 December 2026 (Confirmed by the organiser)** · [Beaune Blues Boogie Festival](https://www.cote-privee.com/events/beaune-blues-boogie-festival): Five nights of boogie-woogie, blues and swing in Beaune's theatres and wine cellars. (Music · Beaune) - **Saturday 12 – Sunday 13 December 2026 (Confirmed by the organiser)** · [Le Festi’Noël](https://www.cote-privee.com/events/festi-noel-marche-de-noel-beaune): Beaune's Christmas market by the Porte Marie de Bourgogne, with crafts, treats and mulled wine. (Christmas · Beaune) - **Thursday 1 – Sunday 4 April 2027 (Confirmed by the organiser)** · [Festival Beethoven à Beaune](https://www.cote-privee.com/events/festival-beethoven-beaune): A spring chamber music festival devoted to Beethoven, led by the cellist Sung-Won Yang. (Music · Beaune) - **Each year over several weeks in late spring and early summer, usually ending in early July** · [Mois des Climats](https://www.cote-privee.com/events/mois-des-climats): A festival of visits, walks and tastings celebrating Burgundy's UNESCO-listed Climats. (Culture · Beaune and the Côte-d'Or vineyards) - **Usually Ascension Thursday, in May, with staggered departures from late morning** · [Beaune Saveurs de Vignes](https://www.cote-privee.com/events/beaune-saveurs-de-vignes): A gourmet walk through Beaune's vineyards, with growers pouring at every stop. (Wine festival · Beaune) - **Usually four consecutive weekends in July** · [Festival international d’opéra baroque de Beaune](https://www.cote-privee.com/events/festival-opera-baroque-beaune): Since 1983, a summer festival of baroque opera in the Hôtel-Dieu courtyard and Beaune's historic churches. (Music · Beaune) - **Late September, over four days from Thursday to Sunday (24 to 27 September in 2026)** · [Festival d’automne Jazz O’Verre](https://www.cote-privee.com/events/festival-jazz-o-verre-beaune): Four days of jazz in Beaune at the end of September, in the spirit of a good glass of wine. (Music · Beaune) - **Early October, on a Saturday, with starts from late morning (3 October in 2026)** · [L’Automnale](https://www.cote-privee.com/events/l-automnale-beaune-cyclos): An autumn cycling tour of the Côte and Hautes-Côtes de Beaune, from 44 to 90 km. (Sport · Beaune) ## Questions about Franco-American Friendship Museum, Beaune ### How long does a visit to Franco-American Friendship Museum, Beaune take? For the visit, allow about 1 hour. ### When is Franco-American Friendship Museum, Beaune open? Opening days and times change during the year, so check the official website (historial-beaune.fr) before you go. Your driver can plan the day around them. ### Can a private driver take us to Franco-American Friendship Museum, Beaune? Yes. Your driver collects you in Beaune or at your hotel in an electric Polestar 2 (up to 4 guests), waits while you visit and plans the rest of the day with you. The driver speaks English, French, Mandarin Chinese and Arabic. → [Half-day wine tour, €290](https://www.cote-privee.com/wine-tours/half-day) ## Book - [Book](https://www.cote-privee.com/book?service=wine-tour&option=half&place=sight:historial): Half-day wine tour from Beaune: €290 for the car, up to 4 guests ## Sources - - --- Canonical page: