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All France Marseille Museum of European and Mediterranean Civilisations

Museum of European and Mediterranean Civilisations

This modern museum of Mediterranean culture is surrounded by a surreal concrete honeycomb.

Marseille, France

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marieg
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Museum of European and Mediterranean Civilisations   Amayes XI on Flickr
Museum of European and Mediterranean Civilisations   Jean-Pierre Dalbéra on Flickr
Museum of European and Mediterranean Civilisations   Jean-Pierre Dalbéra on Flickr
Museum of European and Mediterranean Civilisations   Amayes XI on Flickr
le MuCEM   philoursmars / Atlas Obscura User
le MuCEM   philoursmars / Atlas Obscura User
le MuCEM and the Pharo   philoursmars / Atlas Obscura User
le MuCEM and the moon   philoursmars / Atlas Obscura User
le MuCEM   philoursmars / Atlas Obscura User
le MuCEM   philoursmars / Atlas Obscura User
le MuCEM - Venus in the sky   philoursmars / Atlas Obscura User
le MuCEM and the Major cathedral   philoursmars / Atlas Obscura User
le MuCEM   philoursmars / Atlas Obscura User
le MuCEM - exhibition “Le Bazar du Genre”   philoursmars / Atlas Obscura User
le MuCEM   philoursmars / Atlas Obscura User
le MuCEM   philoursmars / Atlas Obscura User
le MuCEM   philoursmars / Atlas Obscura User
le MuCEM   philoursmars / Atlas Obscura User
le MuCEM   philoursmars / Atlas Obscura User
le MuCEM   philoursmars / Atlas Obscura User
Le MuCEM vu de la Grande Roue   philoursmars / Atlas Obscura User
le MuCEM   philoursmars / Atlas Obscura User
le MuCEM   philoursmars / Atlas Obscura User
le MuCEM   philoursmars / Atlas Obscura User
le MuCEM   philoursmars / Atlas Obscura User
le MuCEM   philoursmars / Atlas Obscura User
le MuCEM   philoursmars / Atlas Obscura User
le MuCEM - the concrete bridge   philoursmars / Atlas Obscura User
le MuCEM   philoursmars / Atlas Obscura User
le MuCEM - the concrete bridge and the Major Cathedral   philoursmars / Atlas Obscura User
le MuCEM   philoursmars / Atlas Obscura User
le MuCEM   philoursmars / Atlas Obscura User
le MuCEM and Fort Saint-Jean   philoursmars / Atlas Obscura User
le MuCEM   philoursmars / Atlas Obscura User
le MuCEM   philoursmars / Atlas Obscura User
le MuCEM   philoursmars / Atlas Obscura User
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About

Sitting on the shore of the Port of Marseille is the Museum of European and Mediterranean Civilisations (MuCEM), a starkly modern cube, connected to the mainland by a skybridge, contained in a swirling concrete cage.

Opened in 2013, the museum seeks to celebrate the various cultures of the Mediterranean in one collection that features both permanent and rotating exhibitions. However the art and culture on display inside the museum may be be slightly overshadowed by the ostentatious building it is contained in. The main museum building sits in the port like a little island, with a narrow bridge connecting to the historic Fort Saint-Jean, which is also part of the museum. The newer building was designed in an ultra-modern style which allows light to filter in through the porous concrete cube surrounding the center. A roof deck also allows visitors to take in the sun off the Mediterranean.

The museum has been viewed by some critics as a bit audacious for a facility that is meant to shine a light on cultures that are too rarely distinguished. Unfortunately, the critics may be right as the site of the bizarrely futuristic building is hard to ignore for the merits inside of it, not to mention its spurious connection to the goals of the museum. With luck, this idiosyncrasy will spur interest in what the building contains.

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Museums And Collections Museums Architecture Architectural Oddities

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Added By

marieg

Edited By

philoursmars, kostas1964ath, EricGrundhauser

  • philoursmars
  • kostas1964ath
  • EricGrundhauser

Published

March 24, 2015

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Sources
  • http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Museum_of_European_and_Mediterranean_Civilisations
  • http://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/2013/jun/09/museum-civilisations-europe-mediterranean-mucem-review
  • http://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/2013/jun/09/museum-civilisations-europe-mediterranean-mucem-review
Museum of European and Mediterranean Civilisations
1 Espl. J4
Marseille, 13002
France
43.296777, 5.361107
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