Mudam, I. M. Pei's glass museum on a Vauban fort

Some museums have a building that competes with the art, and Mudam is one of them. It was designed by I. M. Pei, the architect of the Louvre pyramid, and rises in Dräi Eechelen Park on what was left of Fort Thüngen. The tourist office calls it a glass cathedral on a Vauban fort, which is about right. For me it’s Luxembourg’s most photogenic museum, and one of the few that really earn their ticket price.

A Pei building on the ramparts

The full name is Musée d’Art Moderne Grand-Duc Jean, hence Mudam. It opened in 2006 and offers more than 6,000 m² of galleries. Pei, a Pritzker Prize winner, built it within the grounds of Fort Thüngen, a 1732 work raised around a redoubt Vauban had laid out half a century earlier and enlarged by the Prussians in 1836. The fort was pulled down in the 1870s, leaving only its three towers and the foundations, which were uncovered in 1991. The landscaping around it has won awards too, the museum notes.

Right next door, Fort Thüngen’s three round towers house the Dräi Eechelen Museum, which tells the story of the fortress. Doing both on the same day makes a lot of sense, because one explains the place and the other reinterprets it.

What’s inside

Mudam is a contemporary art museum, with its own collection and temporary exhibitions that change through the year, plus performances and programmes for children, teenagers and schools. The one piece the tourist office singles out is Wim Delvoye’s Gothic chapel, with stained glass imagery it describes as subversive. It won’t be everyone’s cup of tea, which is precisely what draws me to it. Don’t expect a chronological march through the big names of the 20th century either. It’s a museum of its moment, with shows that rotate, so it’s worth checking what’s on before you go.

One useful detail hardly anyone knows about. Your ticket includes the museum’s regular guided tours. If you want to understand the building, asking when the next one leaves is the best investment of the visit.

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Prices and free evenings

Standard entry is €10 and the reduced rate €7, for ages 21 to 25 and over-65s, as of September 2026. Groups of 15 or more pay €7 each, and when galleries are being rehung between exhibitions, entry drops to €7 for everyone.

The free list is generous. Under-21s, students with a valid card, disabled visitors and their companion, and holders of several cards such as the Kulturpass go free. And every Wednesday from 18:00 to 21:00, nobody pays. That’s the slot I’d pick.

Opening hours

From Tuesday to Sunday the museum keeps 10:00-18:00 hours, stretching to 21:00 on Wednesdays. Closed every Monday. Bank holidays follow normal hours; on 24 and 31 December it’s 10:00 to 15:00, and it’s closed on 30 June and 25 December. The café inside keeps museum hours and is run by Chiche!, a project working with migrants and refugees.

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Getting there

You’ll find Mudam at number 3, Park Dräi Eechelen, in Kirchberg. Its tram stop is literally called Philharmonie / Mudam. Buses 1 and 16 stop at Rout Bréck / Pafendall, and the Kirchberg funicular climbs up from Pfaffenthal-Kirchberg railway station. All public transport is free. Driving, the nearest car park is Trois Glands.

For anyone flying in from the UK, the T1 tram runs from Findel airport through Kirchberg, and Philharmonie / Mudam is one of its stops, so the museum is on your way into town rather than a detour. If your flight lands in the morning and your room isn’t ready until the afternoon, it’s a tempting way to fill the gap, although I haven’t found official word on left-luggage at the museum, so ask before you count on it.

My plan

On a Wednesday I’d turn up around 17:00 to see the building from outside in daylight and pop into Fort Thüngen, which is free that day from 17:30. At 18:00 I’d walk into Mudam without paying and round off the evening with a concert at the Philharmonie across the square, if there’s something on. To my mind it’s the most rounded cultural evening the city offers, and it costs no more than the concert ticket. For the rest of the country’s museums, see museums in Luxembourg.

If you are short on time, see the best tours in Mudam and pick one that fits your day.

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