The national naval museum in Toulon covers the city's maritime history from the establishment of Louis XIV's arsenal in the 17th century to the present day. It occupies a handsome stone building on the quay, built as the ceremonial gateway to the naval base.
The collection includes ship models of extraordinary detail and craft, nautical instruments, figurehead carvings, paintings of sea battles, and exhibits on the French navy's role in the two World Wars. The centrepiece is the carved royal portal by Pierre Puget — two enormous figures flanking the entrance archway — that gives the building its ceremonial presence. The museum is less crowded than the one in Paris and the naval context here, with warships visible in the harbour just outside, adds a layer the capital museum cannot match.