Mudam

Mudam opened in 2006 in a building by I.M. Pei raised on the surviving foundations of Fort Thüngen, so the museum sits inside and above the old fortress arrowhead, with stone bastion walls at its base and a glass and limestone structure above. The collection is contemporary, built since the 1990s, with photography, installation and design well represented, and the programme runs changing exhibitions through the year. Pei was chosen partly because the site demanded an answer to the fortress underneath it, and the building was designed to sit within the surviving arrowhead rather than replace it.

History

The museum was first proposed in 1989, and after long dispute about the site it was agreed in 1997 to build it in Dräi Eechelen Park, joined to Fort Thüngen. I. M. Pei designed the building, which cost $100 million, and it was inaugurated on 1 July 2006 (Wikipedia, MUDAM).

The main sights

• The Pei building - glass and limestone raised on the old fortress foundations.
• The fortress base - the bastion walls the museum stands on.
• The contemporary collection - work acquired since the 1990s across several media.
• The Grand Hall - the glass-roofed space at the centre of the building.

When to go

Year round; it is indoors. It closes on Tuesdays. Exhibition changeovers can close galleries.

What to expect

It closes on Tuesdays. Between exhibitions parts of the building are shut. The collection is contemporary and will not suit everyone.

Nearby

Fort Thungen is adjacent, and the old town is southwest.

Key facts