Long delayed, confinement obliges, Narbo Via, the new museum dedicated to ancient Narbonne opened its doors on May 19, 2021.
Narbo Via brings together three places, three stories: the Narbo Via museum, the underground galleries of the Horreum and the archaeological site-museum of Amphoralis.
This museum offers a wide range of experiences through a varied cultural program: discovery tours of the 1,000 works and objects in the permanent exhibition, temporary exhibitions, workshops, film screenings, festive evenings, behind-the-scenes tours and museum reserves, visits to excavation sites in the area, etc.
An exceptional masterpiece
The museum houses a masterpiece, the monumental lapidary wall, an imposing set of 760 stone blocks.
This wall is in perpetual evolution since a robot allows to alternate the blocks exposed and explained to the public.
"This allows us to present a very large number of blocks and to present some of them in greater depth, and at the same time to make these collections accessible for research and examination by researchers," explains Ambroise Lassalle, curator at the Narbo Via museum.
The museum was designed by the firm of the renowned British architect Norman Foster, who among other things designed the Millau Viaduct.
Ancient collections
Narbo Via is also a center of archaeological research with a restoration workshop (ceramics, mosaics, painted plaster, stone fragments) and a study room for the collections and archaeological furniture, and an auditorium of 200 seats that hosts conferences and symposiums.
This museum finally allows to present in a unique place the whole of the ancient collections of Narbonne, previously dispersed.
"These collections were previously presented in two museums and in 4 different reserves. We also had pieces from recent archaeological excavations that could not be shown. One of the objectives was to gather all this heritage in a new place and above all to give a strong visibility to this heritage and to the Roman identity of the city. "concludes Ambroise Lassalle.
Its gardens, with its events and outdoor shows, its bookshop and its restaurant complete the vocation of this place of life open to the city.
EPCC Narbo Via
50, avenue de Gruissan,
newly opened 2, avenue André Mècle
11100 Narbonne
Tel: 04 68 90 28 90
Translated with www.DeepL.com/Translator
(free version)
