This elegant neoclassical building, with its columned porch, beautiful terrace overlooking the chic Avenue Joseph-Clotis in the heart of Hyères and its Mediterranean garden filled with trees, stands as a testament to another time. On the stone façade, coated in limewash, its name is simply displayed in metal letters: La Banque (“The Bank”). But no financial transactions take place here anymore; since 2021, the building has housed the city’s Museum of Culture and Landscape.
From its past, the institution has preserved its impressive original vault in the basement – a highlight in itself. Inside, visitors find deep, metal safe-deposit boxes of various sizes – some large enough to stand in – each fitted with buttons, a key and a number. This is where wealthy residents of Hyères once secured their gold, silver, jewelry or important documents. The perfectly geometric arrangement of the boxes now offers an aesthetic dimension in the museum’s new setting.
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