Musée des Confluences

Over het museum

The Musée des Confluences continues the former natural history museum of Lyon, whose natural science and ethnography collections were built up over the 19th century. The project for a new building was first led by the Rhône département. The building was designed by the Austrian firm Coop Himmelb(l)au and erected at the southern tip of the Presqu’île, where the Rhône meets the Saône. The museum received the “Musée de France” label in 2011, while construction was still under way, and opened to the public in 2014.

The building’s form, with its large glass “Crystal” and metal “Cloud”, has become a landmark of the Confluence district. A 24,000 m² garden links the riverside promenades of the Saône and the Rhône. The museum is now run by the Métropole de Lyon.

The permanent route covers more than 3,000 m² and brings together some 3,000 objects around four major questions: the origin of the world and of life, the diversity of living things, the organization of human societies, and representations of death. The Émile Guimet gallery, on the same site, recalls the history of the original collection. The collections hold more than two million objects, a large part of which is kept in a storage centre outside the museum. Temporary exhibitions, shows, lectures and a space for children aged 2 to 6 complete the offer.

Hoogtepunten

• Deconstructivist architecture by Coop Himmelb(l)au, with the Crystal and the Cloud
• Permanent route in four exhibitions: Origines, Espèces, Sociétés and Éternités
• Choulans mammoth, dinosaur skeletons and mummified animals
• Émile Guimet gallery devoted to the history of the collection
• Rooftop terrace with a view over the confluence
• Le Nuage des petits, a play and exploration space for ages 2 to 6

Vaste collectie

• Origines, les récits du monde – This exhibition presents the formation of the universe and the Earth and the emergence of life, with dinosaur skeletons, trilobites and meteorites.
• Espèces, la maille du vivant – This exhibition explores the diversity of animals and humanity’s place in the living world, with mummified animals, insects and extinct species.
• Sociétés, le théâtre des Hommes – This exhibition shows how societies past and present organize themselves, exchange and communicate, through objects from many cultures.

Opgericht

2014

Beheerder

Métropole de Lyon

Toegangsprijzen & kortingen

A single day ticket covers the permanent route and temporary exhibitions. Also free with proof for job seekers, recipients of minimum social benefits, holders of the ICOM card, licensed guides, journalists and holders of the Lyon City Card. Free entry on the first Sunday of the month does not apply. The hall, garden, shop, restaurants and terrace are accessible without a ticket.

Toegankelijkheid

• Rolstoeltoegankelijk
• Lift
• Aangepast toilet: geen informatie
• Gehandicaptenparkeerplaats
• Hulphonden welkom
• Tastmodellen / voelbare objecten
• Rondleidingen in gebarentaal
• Informatie in eenvoudige taal
• Audiodescriptie: geen informatie

The museum has the Tourisme & Handicap label for hearing, intellectual and motor disabilities. Visitors with reduced mobility enter through the group entrance, to the right of the main staircase. Wheelchairs, sticks with seats, noise-cancelling headphones and sensory tools are lent free of charge at the cloakroom. Easy-to-read booklets, activities in French Sign Language, and video interpreting for phone enquiries are available. Three accessible parking spaces are under the motorway bridge and three in the museum car park.

Kinderen & gezin

Erg geschikt voor kinderen & gezinnen

• Gezinsrondleidingen & workshops
• Speurtocht, doeboekje of kinderaudiotour
• Doe- en voelstations
• Kinderwagenvriendelijk
• Verschoonruimte
• Speeltuin / speelhoek
• Kinderfeestjes

Le Nuage des petits (on the fourth floor, until June 2027) is an exploration space for children aged 2 to 6, accessible by reservation. Game booklets from age 3, practical sheets to prepare the visit, workshops, shows and birthday parties for ages 6 to 10. Strollers are lent free of charge; baby changing tables on levels 1 and 2 and changing areas, a breastfeeding and bottle-feeding space on level 2, and microwaves for baby bottles in both food areas.

Bereikbaarheid & parkeren

Coach drop-off possible at the minute drop-off area under the A7 motorway. The main entrance (Cristal) is reserved for individual visitors; a separate entrance serves groups, people with reduced mobility and families with strollers. The open ground facing the museum is not a car park.

Service & horeca

• Café
• Restaurant
• Museumwinkel
• Garderobe
• Kluisjes
• Wifi

Free Wi-Fi (network MDC-PUBLIC). Free cloakroom for small bags, and lockers. Restaurant RIVES on the ground floor with buffets and a terrace, snack bar La Serre on the fifth floor, and a bookshop-boutique in the hall.

Evenementen & zaalverhuur

• Ruimtes te huur
• Zakelijke evenementen

The museum offers spaces for professional events; restaurant RIVES has a space available for private hire. Contact: privatisation@museedesconfluences.fr.

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