With more than 10 million visitors a year, the Louvre in Paris is the world’s most visited museum. It’s also the world’s largest, so it’s not surprising that it can be a bit overwhelming. I could spend a week there and still feel like I haven’t seen everything. I’d probably be right, too. But if you want to see some of the world’s great treasures — in a more manageable fashion — you don’t have to venture into Paris. Not only does the Louvre has a smaller museum in Abu Dhabi, but there is also one in Lens, Pas-de-Calais, a historic mining town. The Louvre-Lens Museum is located about 125 miles north of Paris. Why not add it to your itinerary?
The Louvre-Lens Museum is a sleek, modern structure featuring wide open spaces, concrete floors and reflecting anodized aluminum walls. The centerpiece of the museum is the Galerie du Temps, or Gallery of Time. Discover 5,000 years of history here in just 3,000 square meters. That’s nearly 32,3000 square feet of art and history!
Driving through the old mining town of Lens, you’ll glimpse remnants of its past — old stone houses and pyramid-shaped coal tips rising from the horizon. The days of yore are quickly forgotten once you pull into the museum drop-off area with the adjacent ultra-modern museum. And when you walk inside, you’ll enter another world!
The Louvre-Lens is the baby brother of the Louvre and home to 200 masterpieces on loan from the Louvre Museum in Paris. It’s located about 205 km from Paris via the A1, which takes about 2 hours and 20 minutes by car.
From a Coal Mine to a Museum
The Louvre-Lens opened in 2012, transforming a former coal mine into a regional jewel. The museum was built in Lens to re-energize the city and give it an economic boost. It’s part of France’s commitment to decentralizing culture.
Lens has an intriguing history that dates back to its days as a fortification from Norman invasions. It changed hands — from a Flemish city to part of the Spanish Netherlands – before becoming part of France.
Coal was first discovered there in 1849, and mining turned Lens into an important industrial city with immigrants arriving from Poland to help with coal mining shortly thereafter. The last coal mine closed in 1986.
Today, the city is blessed with a world-class museum and major sports stadium, improving the city’s economy.
Masterpieces, such as Botticelli’s “Madonna and Child with Seven Angel,” which is pictured here, were on display during our visit.
There’s so much art to see and appreciate!
Arriving in the Museum
Look up. You’ll find a timeline engraved on the wall above you indicating the era of the art. Each year, the gallery changes the layout and renews its collection.
Where to Start
Look up. You’ll find a timeline engraved on the wall above you indicating the era of the art. Start your journey in the 4th millennium BC and travel from Antiquity through the Middle Ages to the modern era. The museum mixes periods, techniques and civilizations, all clustered in geographical areas and chronological order. It makes it easy to understand how one region of the world affected another.
Each year, the gallery changes the layout and renews its collection. We saw the Renaissance art of Botticelli (Madonna and Child with Five Angels), a contemporary-looking ceramic basin (below) from the studio of Bernard Palissy (1510-1589), Rubens’ spectacular Ixion, King of the Lapiths, Deceived by Juno (1615), and an intimate family portrait of Claude-Marie Dubufe’s family, which dates back to 1820. I can’t wait to see what’s on tap this season!
“The subtle interplay between the different works displayed chronologically, reveals borrowings and exchanges, as well as innovations and shifts across time and space,” the museum narrative explains.
We saw a ceramic basin from the studio of Bernard Palissy (1510-1589), Rubens’ spectacular Ixion, King of the Lapiths, Deceived by Juno (1615), and an intimate family portrait of Claude-Marie Dubufe’s family, which dates back to 1820. I can’t wait to see what’s on tap this year!
You can even find a French national treasure! It’s the colorful marble and porcelain table, which last sold for 120 million euros! It was given to the Baron de Breteuil, known as the “Teschen Tafel.” The baron played a critical role in the Treaty of Teschen negotiations in 1779, which involved a treaty between Austria, Prussia and Saxony.
Visit now through January 31, 2022, and you can see a fascinating exhibition of Pablo Picasso’s work and his relationship with the Louvre.
Opening Days and Hours
The Louvre-Lens Museum is open daily, except Tuesday and some holidays from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Admission to the Galerie du Temps and Pavillon de Verre is free. Temporary exhibition tickets cost €10. Tickets for 18-25-year-olds are €5, and admission is free for children under 18.
COVID Information
Don’t forget that France is very strict with COVID rules. Anyone over the age of 12 needs a COVID Safety Pass or “Le Pass Sanitaire” to enter the Louvre-Lens Museum. You’ll also need a mask to cover your nose and mouth.
Please note the additional restrictions issued by the government. If you are over 65 and traveling after December 15, 2021, you will need to have proof that you received your booster injection, too. Check here for the latest restrictions and rules.
