MUSEUMS THE GUIDE


Dive into French culture at La Piscine Roubaix


Post-pandemic, France’s museums and galleries are enjoying a resurgence in popularity as tourists both domestic and foreign gladly soak up the county’s culture and heritage. According to the country’s Ministry of Culture, there are more than 1,200 offi cially recognised museums and galleries dotted around France and its overseas territories. The Louvre, in Paris, is the biggest, best known and most popular, with over nine million visitors in normal years (one of whom decided to throw a cake at the Mona Lisa back in May this year). But don’t overlook the lesser-known, quirkier venues, which can often be more memorable. “Thanks to their extreme variety, these collections will interest all types of visitor,” says the Ministry of Culture. “This variety is chronological – ranging from the fi rst artistic gestures of early mankind all the way to the prototype for


the Concorde aeroplane, via the Mona Lisa. But it’s also geographical, ranging from ancient Egypt and pre-Columbian America to the Far East, the Pacifi c and Alaska.” The ministry explains how the various collections celebrate both national and international history: the storming of the Bastille, Napoleon’s coronation, Second World War Resistance, and the American War of Independence… the list goes on. But they also cover daily life in France – school, medicine, religion, clothing, the environment, as well as industrial trades such as shipping, agriculture, mining, the crafts and so on. “And don’t forget the musicians, writers, fashion designers, political personalities or inventors,” the ministry adds. It’s all there to be discovered. Our guide will help you choose the most intriguing museums and galleries of all.


❯❯ WORDS BY DOMINIC BLISS Aug/Sep 2022 FRANCE TODAY ❘ 135


IMAGE © OFFICE DE TOURISME DE ROUBAIX


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