Anyone walking along the Promenade Robert Laffont, near the old port of Marseille, cannot miss this striking building. This is Cosquer Mediterranean. A new museum – opening Saturday, June 4, 2022 – houses a replica of a cave. This is actually bad news, because the original cave, with its remarkable drawings, discovered by Henri Cosquer in the early 90s, is threatened by rising sea levels.

Replica of the Cosquer Cave

The cave lies off the coast of Marseille, nearly forty meters below the surface. Henri Cosquer discovered it by chance. He must have been astonished to find himself in a chamber with hundreds of drawings on the walls. Drawings that, as it turned out, were tens of thousands of years old. Made by our ancestors when the cave was still above water. After the last ice age, the cave—at least its opening—was submerged. And now, the next rise in sea level threatens to close the cave permanently, and the drawings are expected to disappear.

Special building

That's why the cave has been recreated in a super-modern building in Marseille. So we can all feel like cave explorers or speleologists for a moment. We were there in Marseille just a little too early, a week before the opening. So no photos of the inside of the remarkable building, only of the exterior. Fortunately, the NOS did have a photo. article published.  The article includes photos of the original cave, the replica in the new museum, and a video.

Cosquer and Chauvet

By the way: a 'replica' may not sound that exciting, but if the French pull off a feat in Marseille similar to the one they pulled off in Vallon Pont d'Arc at Grotte Chauvet (in the Ardèche) have performed, then this is an overwhelming experience. The original cave, discovered in 1994 by Jean-Marie Chauvet, has also been recreated there. And here too, the replica is encased in a beautiful piece of architecture. In Chauvet Cave 2 35.000 year old cave drawings by our creative ancestors can be seen.