The Museum of European and Mediterranean Civilizations (Mucem; French: ''Musée des Civilisations de l'Europe et de la Méditerranée'') is a national museum located in

Marseille Marseille (; ; see #Name, below) is a city in southern France, the Prefectures in France, prefecture of the Departments of France, department of Bouches-du-Rhône and of the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur Regions of France, region. Situated in the ...

France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...

. It was inaugurated on 7 June 2013 as part of

Marseille-Provence 2013 Marseille-Provence 2013 or MP2013 was the year-long series of cultural events that took place in Marseille, France, and the surrounding area to celebrate the territory's designation as the European Capital of Culture for 2013. In total, there we ...

, a year when Marseille was designated as the

European Capital of Culture A European Capital of Culture is a city designated by the European Union (EU) for a period of one calendar year during which it organises a series of cultural events with a strong pan-European dimension. Being a European Capital of Culture can ...

. In 2015, it won the Council of Europe Museum Prize. Between 2013 and 2016, the Mucem welcomed 8.5 million visitors, including 2.2 million in its exhibition spaces. The museum is therefore presented as a tool for the attractiveness of the territory of the metropolis of Aix-Marseille-Provence.

Overview

The museum is devoted to European and Mediterranean civilisations. With a permanent collection charting historical and cultural cross-fertilisation in the Mediterranean basin, it takes an interdisciplinary approach to society through the ages up to modern times. The museum is built on reclaimed land at the entrance to the harbour, next to the site of the 17th-century Fort Saint-Jean and a former port terminal called the J4. A channel separates the new building and the Fort Saint-Jean, which has been restructured as part of the project. The two sites are linked by a high footbridge, long. Another footbridge links the Fort Saint-Jean to the Esplanade de la Tourette, near the church of St Laurent in the ''Panier'' quarter. The museum, built "of stone, water and wind", was designed by the architect

Rudy Ricciotti Rudy Ricciotti (born 22 August 1952) is a French architect and publisher.Lanie GoodmanGround Breaker ''The New York Times'', September 17, 2012

in collaboration with the architect Roland Carta. A cube of surrounded by a latticework shell of

fibre-reinforced concrete Fiber-reinforced concrete or fibre-reinforced concrete (FRC) is concrete containing fibrous material which increases its structural integrity. It contains short discrete fibers that are uniformly distributed and randomly oriented. Fibers inclu ...

, it houses exhibits on two levels, with an underground auditorium seating 400. The permanent collection and bookshop are situated on the ground floor. There is a restaurant on the terrace at the top of the building with panoramic views of the bay of Marseille, the Corniche and the Prado. The exhibition devoted in 2022 to the

Emir Abdelkader Abd al-Qadir ibn Muhyi al-Din (6 September 1808 – 26 May 1883; '), known as the Emir Abdelkader or Abd al-Qadir al-Hassani al-Jaza'iri, was an Algerian religious and military leader who led a struggle against the French colonial invasion of ...

makes it possible to address, for example, issues of history and memory of a great figure in the Mediterranean.

Galerie

File:Mucem Marseille 02.jpg File: Fort Saint-Jean&Musée des civilisations de l'Europe et de la Méditerranée.jpg File:Mucem Marseille 03.jpg

References

External links

{{Authority control Museums in Marseille Tourist attractions in Marseille 2013 establishments in France Museums established in 2013 Buildings and structures completed in 2013 Rudy Ricciotti buildings National museums of France

Overview

Galerie

See also

References

External links