Musée des Confluences
1 / 5
Musée des Confluences - by Roman B on Google
Description
The Musée des Confluences houses collections of natural history, natural sciences, and anthropology complemented by temporary arts and crafts exhibitions. The striking deconstructivist steel & glass design was created by the Austrian firm Coop Himmelb(l)au and suggests a floating crystal. The permanent exhibitions deal with topics such as the origins of the universe, the beginning of life, evolution, human societies, and death or the meaning of life.
Access & Transport
Address: 86 Quai Perrache in the 2nd arr. The museum is at the southern tip of the Presqu'île, at the confluence of the Rhône and the Saône rivers. The tram station 'Musée des Confluences' on the T1 line is next to the building. Buses 15, 63, C7 and C10 also go to the museum Detailed info for those driving available here: https://www.museedesconfluences.fr/en/preparer-ma-visite/getting-here The museum car park is at Rue Vuillerme, 200m north of the venue
Instructions & Recommendations
If you are interested, the Aquarium de Lyon is close by across the Saone and the confluence shopping centre is a 10mins' walk north.
Environmental & Social
Educational aspects. The building is designed to be energy efficient (natural ventilation and lighting + solar on the roof) but it is still a lot of concrete, glass and steel required. Some interesting details here: https://coop-himmelblau.at/projects/musee-des-confluences/
Conclusion
The Musée des Confluences is interesting but, in our opinion, it punches under its weight. Somehow the choice of housing natural sciences in a futuristic looking building is not paying off and a venue where space, geometry and lines play a defining role would have been more suited to artistic collections (not necessarily contemporary art). It is also clear that the way exhibitions have been curated so far is not exactly a hit with visitors. Overall, we would recommend a visit to anybody with more than 3 days in town or who are specifically interested in the topics covered.
Key positive
Some impressive content on display and educational topics
Striking architecture
Key negative
Messy flow within the collections and lack of descriptions
Not centrally located
Late morning opening time
Suitability
Children less than 10yrs old may find it hard to follow. Accessible for visitors with reduced mobility
About this Rating
TYPE
Desktop
RESEARCHED IN
June 2024
PROVIDER
Koreval
av. transport time:0h 30m
est. visit time:2h 30m
Monday -
Tuesday10:30 - 18:30
Wednesday10:30 - 18:30
Thursday10:30 - 18:30
Friday10:30 - 18:30
Saturday10:30 - 18:30
Sunday10:30 - 18:30