Mudam Luxembourg

On 5 December 1996 the Chamber of Deputies passed two laws: one creating a museum of modern art on the envelope of Fort Thüngen, the other a fortress museum in its réduit. The fort dates from 1732, when the Austrian authorities decided to strengthen the fortress of Luxembourg; it is today the only detached fort still standing on the territory of the former fortress.

The museum building is the work of I. M. Pei, in collaboration with the Luxembourg architect Georges Reuter. The museum opened to the public on 2 July 2006, with the exhibition Eldorado.

The museum is conceived as a dialogue between the historical and natural context of its site. Its orientation links the past, with the former Fort Thüngen and the old city, the present, and the future, with the European district of Kirchberg. Its neighbours are the Musée Dräi Eechelen, Christian de Portzamparc's Philharmonie and Ricardo Bofill's Place de l'Europe.

The building stands on a spearhead-shaped envelope that encircles Fort Thüngen. It is made of Burgundy stone and topped with skylights, which recall the "Three Acorn" towers and the Spanish-style watchtowers of the old fortress; the pointed form of the large central glazing also echoes the Louvre pyramid, another work by Pei.

Its three levels offer 4,000 m² for exhibitions and collections. The volumes are simple and the spaces generous, and the interplay between interior and exterior multiplies the views onto the park, beneath a large glass canopy. The honey-coloured Magny Doré limestone gives the building a distinctive luminosity, animated by the changing light and shadow of the hours and seasons.

The Dräi Eechelen Park is the work of the landscape architect Michel Desvigne, who received the Luxembourg Architecture Prize in 2011. Its composition of trees and paving, minimalist in style, descends gently from the Place de l'Europe, which is urban, to the natural surroundings of Fort Thüngen.

Mudam is the contemporary art museum of Luxembourg. It collects and presents contemporary art through its exhibitions, publications, and artistic and educational programmes.

Several works from its collection are integrated into the Dräi Eechelen Park. Mudam Café is open during the museum's opening hours.

The museum is open Tuesday to Sunday from 10 am to 6 pm, until 9 pm on Wednesdays, and closed on Mondays. On bank holidays it opens from 10 am to 6 pm; on 24 and 31 December, from 10 am to 3 pm; it is closed on 30 June and 25 December.

Admission is free on Wednesdays from 6 pm to 9 pm, and for visitors under 21, students with a valid student card, and visitors with disabilities and their companion. The ticket includes participation in the regular guided tours.

The museum is at 3, Park Dräi Eechelen, in Kirchberg; the tram stops at Philharmonie / Mudam.