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, 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 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 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
See also
*
Musée national des Arts et Traditions Populaires (France)
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