The museum is housed in the Villa Eugénie, built in honour of Napoleon III's wife. However, Eugénie de Montijo, who was to open the 1868 summer season, never made it here, supposedly because of a quarrel with her husband. The villa is now home to a museum which provides a retrospective of local history, with pride of place devoted to the life of this seaside resort in the late 19C and early 20C.