When photography tells the industrial history of Dunkirk.
From 29 April 2026, the Dunkirk Maritime and Port Museum will be hosting a unique exhibition dedicated to Dunkirk’s shipyards through industrial photography.
An exceptional selection of photographs from the museum’s collections allows visitors to delve into the history of these shipyards, which have had a profound impact on the city’s landscape, economy and collective memory.
Both a tool for bearing witness and a form of artistic expression, industrial photography reveals the construction of ships, the precision of the workers’ movements and the transformations of port infrastructure.
The exhibition traces this history through several major shipyards in Dunkirk: Ziegler, Ateliers et Chantiers de France and Béliard & Crighton. The exhibition continues with contemporary photographs taken at the DAMEN Shiprepair shipyard during the restoration of the three-masted Duchesse Anne, a symbol of Dunkirk’s maritime heritage.
Models, heritage objects and archival documents complete the exhibition and shed light on the activity of the shipyards and the lives of those who worked there.
Presented as part of the Bicentennial of Photography, this exhibition pays tribute to an industrial, human and visual heritage deeply rooted in Dunkirk’s identity.
