Originally structured as an archeology and ethnology museum, it is now a museum of regional history and society – focusing on the conservation, study, and presentation of the history of Brittany and Breton heritage from prehistory to the present day.

The current collection consists of over 600,000 objects and documents, of which more than 400,000 are photographic negatives and prints.

The collections are co-managed with the local ecomuseum – the Écomusée de la Bintinais.

[1] The museum also houses a substantial collection of works related to Alfred Dreyfus and his 1899 trial (known as the Dreyfus affair) – which was held in the nearby Lycée de Rennes (now the Lycée Émile-Zola de Rennes).

Following a temporary exhibition in 1973, Jeanne Lévy, daughter of Alfred Dreyfus, made a large donation which was subsequently increased by other family-donations and purchases.