Three Museums in Dunkirk, France

We've covered the Beaches and Cuisine of the ABC's of Dunkirk.

Today it's time to cover the Art.  We visited three very different museums in Dunkirk.

Memorial du Souvenir - Dunkerque War Museum

Obviously after playing such an important role in WWII, there has to be a War Museum in Dunkirk.  It's a small museum but definitely worth a visit for just a few euros.  It focuses on the Battle of Dunkerque and Operation Dynamo.  It's run by very knowledgeable volunteers who are eager to tell the stories of the collection.  There is a film in both French and English that tells the story of the massive evacuation from the French perspective which was really interesting.

FRAC Nord-Pas de Calais

Dunkirk was once a busy shipbuilding port but until recently many of the docks and industrial buildings sat empty and derelict.  This massive structure built in the 1940's became known as "the cathedral" and was selected to become the new home of this contemporary art museum.  The cavernous building has been cleaned up but still sits open and empty.  Alongside of it they've built a new lightweight structure made of concrete, steel beams, corrugated sheeting and air filled layers of plastic that mirrors the old warehouse perfectly.  The contemporary art collection was interesting but the new building was truly amazing.  It's open and airy, massive and stark with wonderful views into the beautiful older structure that was its inspiration and the sea on the other side.

The Port Museum

This was my favorite.  It's one of the most well-presented museums I've visited.  It's located in a 19th century industrial building in the historic Citadel area and encompasses the extensive maritime history of Dunkirk. The museum is also home to three amazing ships that you can explore.  We went aboard the Duchesse Anne which was once a naval training vessel that was given to the French as part of the war reparations in 1946.  She's been entirely refurbished and is beautiful.   There were men climbing up the ropes to make some repairs.  I could just imagine the ship in her heyday with sailors clamoring about.  It's between 3 and 10 euros depending on what you visit.  We also had a few more Jean Bart sightings. Can you spot him?

Dunkirk is also home to the LAAC Contemporary Art Museum surrounding by a sculpture garden overlooking the beach and the MBA Museum of Fine Arts with an extensive and eclectic collection.  We didn't have time to visit during this trip but hope to get back soon.

We had a great evening and day exploring Dunkirk.

It was nice to experience more than just the war history of the area.

There is certainly more to offer.

On Sunday we were off to visit the neighboring town of Gravelines where we 

joined a Giant's Parade.   More on that to come.

What is your favorite type of museum?

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We were the guests of Dunkirk's Office of Tourism for our stay in Dunkirk.
  All photos, writing and opinions are my own.
As always, I promise to be open, honest and transparent with my readers.
If you have any questions, please don't hesitate to ask.