Museums Archives ⋆ Page 3 of 36 ⋆ The Passenger

February 14, 2025February 28, 2025

La Sabana

The Museo de Arte Costarricense, located in San José, Costa Rica, is a significant cultural institution that opened its doors in 1978. The museum is housed in the former terminal building of La Sabana International Airport, which operated from 1940 to 1974. This unique setting adds historical value to the museum, as it preserves the architectural heritage of Costa Rica while showcasing a diverse collection of over 6,000 artworks spanning from the mid-19th century to the present day.

February 13, 2025February 28, 2025

Cuartel Bellavista

The Museo Nacional de Costa Rica, located in San José, is housed in the historic Cuartel Bellavista, a fortress-like structure with a rich and complex history. The construction of the Cuartel began in 1917 under the regime of Federico Tinoco, who sought to strengthen the military institution after his coup d’état. The building served as military barracks for decades, and its exterior walls still bear bullet holes from Costa Rica‘s 1948 civil war. Following the abolition of the army by José Figueres Ferrer in 1948, the Cuartel Bellavista was symbolically transformed into the National Museum in 1950, marking a significant shift from military to cultural purposes.

February 12, 2025February 28, 2025

Museo Nacional de Arqueología y Etnología

The Museo Nacional de Arqueología y Etnología in Ciudad de Guatemala is a treasure trove of Maya artifacts and cultural heritage. Housing the country’s largest collection of ancient Maya relics, the museum showcases an impressive array of monumental stone sculptures, including Classic-period stelae from Tikal, Uaxactún, and Piedras Negras. Visitors can marvel at a superb throne from Piedras Negras, animal representations from Preclassic Kaminaljuyú, and rare wooden lintels from temples at Tikal and El Zotz. The museum’s collection also features exquisite jade necklaces and masks, offering a glimpse into the craftsmanship of the ancient Maya.

January 19, 2025April 18, 2025

Dichterfürst

One of the most important sons of the city of Frankfurt am Main is for sure Johann Wolfgang von Goethe. He died at Weimar and is buried at the Fürstengruft there, but he is still present in his birthplace. One example of that is the Frankfurter Goethe-Haus at the Großer Hirschgraben, the place he was born at in 1749 and the seat of his family until 1795. Unfortunately, the house itself was destroyed in 1944 during an air raid – but the interior was preserved. After long debates the house was rebuilt and serves as a museum today.

November 6, 2024December 24, 2024

Nejjarine

Finding the Musée Nejjarine des Arts et Métiers du Bois inside the maze that is constituted by the medina of Fès is quite a challenge. Once you’ve found the Place Nejjarine or Carpenters Square you can enjoy the atmosphere of this place, observe the craftsmen, discover the fondouk (a beautifully decorated fountain) and explore the nice museum. The Musée Nejjarine is an old caravansary, a wonderful building which exhibits the fine works of carpenters on several levels, from doors via chests to wooden weaving machines.

November 3, 2024December 30, 2024

Art moderne et contemporain

Musée Mohammed VI Art Moderne & Contemporary, Rabat

As the capital city of Morocco, Rabat for sure needs a great art museum. Named after the current ruler Mohammed VI, the Musée d’art moderne et contemporain delivers what you would expect: contemporary art presented in a modern environment. Unfortunately, locals often miss the opportunity to see this wonderful museum because of its rather high entrance fee. The museum was opened in 2014 and on two levels artworks of 200 Moroccan artists from the 20th and 21st century can be seen.

November 2, 2024January 2, 2025

Villa des Artes

There aren’t too many places in Morocco to see contemporary art, especially local contemporary art. The one place I liked most is the Villa des Artes at Casablanca, located in an art déco villa build in 1934 close to the Parque de la Ligue Arabe. it is not a vast museum, but a beautiful building with two floors full of artworks by current Moroccan artists. While I was visiting the museum a large tent in the garden even extended the available exhibition space.

October 6, 2024January 18, 2025

Fellini

Everyone knows the famous Italian filmmaker Federico Fellini. Most famous for his 1960s movie La dolce vita with Marcello Mastroianni and Anita Ekberg (remember the scene at the Fontana di Travi?), his cinematic Œuvre includes 35 movies like La Strada, Amarcord and Otto e mezzo. He died in 1993 at Roma but he was born in 1920 at Rimini – and for sure they had to create a kind of monument for him here. The Museum Fellini can be found across three locations close to each other in the city center: the Castel Sismondo, the Piazza Malatesta in front of it and the modern location within the Palazzo del Fulgor.

October 4, 2024October 27, 2024

MAMbo

Galleria Nazionale d'Arte Moderna, San Marino

If you’re looking for modern art at Bologna, make sure to visit the former industrial zone southwest of Bolognas main railway station: former industry buildings like a tobacco factory, a paper mill and a salt storage have been re-purposed. The bread factory is now inhabited by the Museo d’Arte Moderna di Bologna – or short: MAMbo. Large rooms with high ceilings offer the perfect setting to present contemporary Italian art.

October 4, 2024January 18, 2025

Weird collection

The Palazzo Poggi is part of the ensemble of university buildings in the city center of Bologna. It was built for Cardinal Giovanni Poggi in the 16th century and later became the home of the library and a very special scientific collection, the Museo di Palazzo Poggi. The museum contains a lot of ancient scientific displays about nautics, physics, natural history, human anatomy and obstetrics. Seeing this old exhibits in the special style of their creation times is amazing and the museum has an incredible atmosphere.