Gallo-Roman Museum, Lyon

The Gallo-Roman Museum of Saint-Romain-en-Gal in Lyon, France, is undergoing a major rehabilitation and expansion project. Situated on the edge of an archaeological dig site, the Gallo-Roman Museum is devoted to the ancient history of the city of Lyon. Much of the existing Bernard Zehrfuss-designed museum building, built 1966-75, is an invisible structure constructed within a hill to emphasize the importance of the archaeological site. The museum and adjoining archaeological sites offer a panorama of Gallo-Roman civilisation and showcase more than 2,000 years of ancient history. Luxurious Roman residences with vast peristyle gardens and mosaic floors, such as the House of the Ocean Gods, stand alongside warehouses and shops. The museum welcomes 80,000 visitors a year and teaches them to unlock the secrets of the techniques of ancient potters, cultivate botanical plants or vines like the Gallo-Romans and understand how the Allobroges (former name of the inhabitants of ancient Gaul) lived 2,000 years ago. Its collection of 150,000 objects boasts an impressive array of Roman and pre-Roman artefacts, maps of the ancient town and scale models of its ancient monuments. It is hoped that the rehabilitation and extension of the Gallo-Roman Museum will transform it into a place of national and international interest. The museum building, a link between the site and the collections that opened in 1996, will evolve to become more immersive and interactive for visitors. Additionally, a new permanent route will promote immersion through the senses. Plans for the first phase of the project, scheduled to complete in 2026, include the modernization of the main museum building and the renovation of the archaeological site and exterior fittings. The second and final phase of the project will include creating a restaurant/event space on the museum’s roof, which is anticipated to complete in 2030. The Rhône Department, the local authority that manages the site, is now seeking contractors to participate in a project management competition for the museum’s rehabilitation and extension. The estimated prize winnings are €300,000, and the deadline to register interest is 20 February 2023.