Louvre-Lens

About the museum

The Louvre-Lens opened in December 2012 in the Bassin minier of the Pas-de-Calais. It embodies the region’s hope for renewal after the closure of the coal mines, and aims to share the Louvre’s collections with a broad public far from Paris.

The museum was built on a twenty-hectare wasteland, the former pithead of the Lens mine shafts 9 and 9 bis, closed in 1960 and gradually reclaimed by nature. The Japanese architects Kazuyo Sejima and Ryue Nishizawa of the SANAA practice, selected in 2005 from 124 applications, chose a long, single-storey building with anodised aluminium façades that reflect the landscape. The museum opens onto a landscaped park.

At the heart of the building, the Galerie du temps presents, free of charge in a single open space of 3,000 m², a chronological route through around 5,000 years of history. Fully renewed in 2024, it brings together more than 250 masterpieces from the Louvre, supplemented by loans from other national collections. Two major temporary exhibitions are organised each year, and the Pavillon de verre hosts exhibitions on the heritage of the region.

The museum is a public cultural cooperation body (EPCC) and holds the Tourisme et Handicap label.

Highlights

• Galerie du temps: more than 250 masterpieces from the Louvre, free entry
• Glass and aluminium architecture by the SANAA practice
• Landscaped park on the former mining site
• Temporary exhibitions of international scope
• Mediators present in the galleries every day

Permanent exhibition

• Galerie du temps – Free chronological route through around 5,000 years of history, with more than 250 masterpieces from the Louvre, in a single 3,000 m² space.

Founded

2012

Operated by

Établissement public de coopération culturelle du Musée du Louvre-Lens

Director

Annabelle Ténèze

Visitors per year

approx. 863,117

Admission & discounts

The Galerie du temps and the Pavillon de verre are free of charge. The €12 rate applies to the temporary exhibition gallery. A full price list and membership cards are available on the museum’s website.

Accessibility

• Wheelchair accessible
• Elevator: no information
• Accessible restroom
• Accessible parking
• Service dogs welcome: no information
• Tactile models & exhibits
• Sign language tours: no information
• Easy-to-read materials: no information
• Audio description

The museum holds the Tourisme et Handicap label. All spaces are on one level. A tactile guide line leads visually impaired visitors from the entrance, and tactile maps in Braille are at the entrances to the museum and the park. Free loan of wheelchairs, folding seats, magnifying glasses and pushchairs, as well as induction loops. The multimedia guides offer content in sign language and audio description; a Braille booklet with around ten tactile works is available on request. Accessible parking and drop-off spaces are within the museum grounds, accessed from rue Paul Bert.

Kids & families

Great for kids & families

• Family tours & workshops
• Activity booklet, scavenger hunt or kids’ audio guide
• Stroller-friendly
• Kids’ birthday parties

The museum offers Bébé au musée (9 to 18 months), the musée des tout-petits (18 to 36 months), parent-and-child workshops (3 to 6 years), workshop visits (7 to 12 years), family visits and birthday parties. A visitor guide for toddlers can be downloaded. Under-18s enter free, and pushchairs are lent free of charge on presentation of an ID.

Getting there & parking

The museum is a 20 to 25-minute walk from Lens station or the town centre along a landscaped footpath. On match days at the neighbouring stadium, traffic is heavy, so the Jean Jaurès car park is preferable. Bicycle parking in the park; the museum holds the Accueil Vélo label. A TER Louvre-Lens pass is offered.

Amenities & dining

• Café
• Restaurant
• Museum shop
• Coat check
• Wi-Fi

The restaurant L’Atelier du Cerisier is in the park, and the café La Pause du Cerisier at the heart of the museum. The bookshop sells the museum’s own publications. A picnic area with 80 seats is open to all in the foyer, with high chairs; sharp objects and glass containers are prohibited. A Wi-Fi network dedicated to the audio guide gives free access to the museum’s audio guide on a smartphone.

Events & venue rental

• Spaces for rent
• Corporate events

Spaces for corporate events: Galerie du temps, the Agora foyer and its lounge, auditorium, atrium, meeting rooms and the performance hall La Scène. Private visits of the exhibitions are possible.

Plan your visit