The Museum of European and Mediterranean Civilizations (MuCEM) (French: Museum of Civilizations of Europe and the Mediterranean ) is a national museum Located in Marseille , France. 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 . [1]
Overview
The museum is devoted to European and Mediterranean civilizations. With a permanent collection of historical and cultural cross-fertilization 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 harbor, next to the site of the 17th-century Fort Saint John and a terminal port called the J4. A channel separates the new building and Fort St. John, which has been restructured as part of the project. The two sites are linked by a high footbridge, 130 m (430 ft) long. Another footbridge links the Fort Saint-Jean to the Tourette Esplanade, near the church of St. Laurent in the Panier quarter.
The museum, built “of stone, water and wind”, [2] was designed by the architect Rudy Ricciotti in collaboration with the architect Roland Carta. A cube of 15,000 square meters (160,000 sq ft) surrounded by a latticework shell of fiber-reinforced concrete , 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 of the building of the Marseilles, the Corniche and the Prado.
References
- Jump up^ Report in France 24 , 4 June 2013, accessed 4 June 2013
- Jump up^ “J4” . Mucem.org . Retrieved July 20, 2016 .