Norwegian Kunstsilo crowned World's Most Beautiful Museum at Prix Versailles

Kunstsilo

Kristiansand's Kunstsilo has been named the world's most beautiful museum at the 2025 Prix Versailles ceremony, held at UNESCO headquarters in Paris. The converted grain silo beat six other finalists from France, Indonesia, South Korea, Saudi Arabia and the United States to claim the top honour.

The 90-year-old industrial landmark on the Kristiansand waterfront has attracted international attention since opening in May 2024, earning mentions on Time magazine's "World's Greatest Places 2024" list, and Forbes has called it a must-visit destination for art lovers.

The building dates from 1935, when it served as a port granary comprising 30 concrete silos. The architects responsible for the conversion are the Mestres Wåge Arquitectes, Mendoza Partida, and BAX Studio. The original 1935 grain silo, however, was designed by Norwegian functionalist architects Arne Korsmo and Sverre Aasland.

Kunstsilo is now southern Norway's largest museum, spanning 3,300 square metres, and houses three collections: the Tangen Collection, the Sørlandet Art Collection, and the Christianssands Picture Gallery. Altogether, the collections' total number of unique works exceeds 8000, including the world's most extensive collection of Nordic modernist art.

The cavernous interior of the former silos draws natural light deep into the building, creating monumental gallery spaces that the Prix Versailles jury likened to a concrete cathedral. A towering central staircase offers visitors a meditative ascent, while panoramic views from the rooftop terrace look out across the southern Norwegian coastline.

Kunstsilo

Announced annually at UNESCO since 2015, the Prix Versailles is a series of architectural competitions that recognise outstanding contemporary projects worldwide. A multidisciplinary jury awards twenty-four World Titles across categories, including airports, campuses, passenger stations, sports venues, museums, emporiums, hotels and restaurants.

The awards aim to promote "intelligent sustainability", evaluating projects for their ecological, social and cultural impact as well as their aesthetic qualities. Selection criteria include innovation, creativity, reflection of local heritage, environmental efficiency, and the encouragement of social interaction.

The 2025 Prix Versailles World´s Most Beautiful Museums shortlist

Seven institutions were nominated for the World's Most Beautiful Museums List 2025:

1. Grand Palais – Paris, France (restoration by Chatillon Architectes)

2. Saka Museum – Bali, Indonesia (Mitsubishi Jisho Design)

3. Audeum – Seoul, Republic of Korea (Kengo Kuma)

4. Kunstsilo – Kristiansand, Norway (Mestres Wåge Arquitectes / Mendoza Partida / BAX)

5. Diriyah Art Futures – Riyadh, Saudi Arabia (Schiattarella Associati)

6. Cleveland Museum of Natural History – Cleveland, United States (DLR Group)

7. Joslyn Art Museum – Omaha, United States (Snøhetta expansion)