Marseille - MuCEM

view from the ramparts of Fort Saint-Jean

Marseille (week 21)

We were back in Marseille to see the "jewel of the new waterfront": the Musée des civilisations de l'Europe et de la Méditerranée, abbreviated "MuCEM".  It is in a modern (a few years old) building on the waterfront, surrounded by what Yolanda called the largest pétanque field in Provence.  The city clearly leveled a swath of the old waterfront and now the area only holds the museum and an underground parking garage, the latter covered over by the aforementioned gravel park (it's actually more aesthetically pleasing than it sounds, with nice views of the Med, benches, some trees, etc.).  The MuCEM proper (called the J4 building - whatever that means) is attached by a pedestrian overpass (over a water channel) to Fort Saint-Jean (built by Louis XIV in 1660, although you can still see parts of the old 12th century Hospitaller fort that were incorporated into the structure).  Although the fort is at the entrance to the harbour, it's guns were pointed inland, for guarding the King's interests from the local population rather than from attack by sea-borne invaders (too bad the French didn't apply this lesson to the Fortress of Louisbourg).  Several buildings within the walls of the Fort also contain exhibits, and you can climb the Tour du Roi René for a panoramic view of the MuCEM, fort, city, and marina.  The kids enjoyed running around the ramparts and climbing the various viewpoints.  They didn't so much enjoy the creepy circus diorama (about 30' of painted cardboard cutouts) or the even creepier marionette exhibit, both located in former Fort buildings (the old chapel and officer's quarters, respectively).

this is made entirely of bread!

As for the museum itself, it is airy and uncluttered ... but somewhat underwhelming, at least compared to, say, the Canadian Museum of Civilization in Ottawa (which apparently has a new name, but it's still a civilization museum).  The permanent exhibits feature agricultural artifacts from across the Mediterranean, but they are mostly small items and models.  Another permanent exhibit, on the Holy Land, is largely told through models and videos, rather than artifacts or recreated rooms and buildings.  There is also a very large area for temporary exhibits, currently featuring an interesting collection from photojournalist Raymond Depardon.  There was also an exhibit on food-related art that we didn't visit.