Written by: Salma El-Saqqa
The Petroleum Museum in the French municipality of Merkwiller-Pechelbronn is facing a new administrative obstacle that complicates the possibilities of its reopening for the next season, after it has remained closed since March 2026 by virtue of a municipal decision imposing the modernization of safety standards.
A white season for the only museum of its kind in France
The museum closed its doors throughout the current season, which was supposed to extend from April 1st to November 1st, thereby completing a "white season" without visitors. This edifice is the only French museum entirely dedicated to the history of oil and the petroleum industry, and it is located in the Soltz-sous-Forêts sector in the Alsace region.
Unfavorable opinion regarding renovation works
The competent authorities issued an unfavorable opinion, not regarding the principle of reopening, but concerning the file of works necessary to bring the museum into compliance with safety standards. The decision justified that the submitted file is "incomplete," which means that the required works cannot be commenced in their current form, and the fate of the reopening remains suspended until technical and administrative requirements are met.
