Surprising architecture
As soon as you arrive in Bordeaux from Paris, by train or via the stone bridge, you can’t miss it. You’ll see a gigantic monument with an arch hewed at its very centre. This asymmetric arch is the counterpart of the Cité du vin at the other end of the crescent created by the River Garonne as it weaves its way through Bordeaux. As you reach the MÉCA, you’ll notice sets of stairways and ramps leading to the main entrance. With its 120 metres length and its 37 metres height, the building stands out impressively. It is fashioned in the warm colour of Bordeaux stone. A work made by the Danish architect Bjaarke Ingels.
On the agenda
The MÉCA, a temple of culture, hosts the Nouvelle-Aquitaine Region’s cultural agencies devoted to performing arts, books, cinema: the FRAC (Regional Contemporary Arts Foundation), OARA (Nouvelle-Aquitaine Regional Artistic Bureau) and ALCA (Book, Cinema, Audiovisual Agency).
The FRAC’s exhibition spaces are open to the public from Tuesday to Saturday from 1pm to 6:30pm - one Thursday evening per month until 9pm - one Sunday per month from 1pm to 6:30pm.
The CREM, a café-restaurant with a one-of-a-kind vista over the river
The building invites the public to stroll around an outdoor urban, promenade, relax on a panoramic terrace and delight in a café-restaurant, open 7/7, at midday and in the evening. Its restaurant offers visitors a friendly, gourmet break and proposes cuisine which favours short, organic circuits. And, why not head up to the rooftop on the 5th floor for an awe-inspiring vista on a par with the world’s most exquisite urban belvederes.
Enthusiastic globetrotter, Béatrice loves to explore new horizons in cultural heritage...in Nouvelle-Aquitaine, naturally. Contemporary architecture, history-laden old stones, picturesque villages, intangible heritage and literary treasures, hold no secrets for her.
