In a proud moment for India, Bhuj's Smritivan Earthquake Museum on Thursday made its way into UNESCO's world's most beautiful museums list. Smritivan Earthquake Museum was shortlisted by Prix Versailles. Gujarat CM Bhupendra Patel in his tweet wrote "A proud moment for Gujarat and India! Bhuj's Smritivan Earthquake Memorial Museum has been placed on the list of the seven most beautiful museums in the world under the prestigious Prix Versailles Award in the field of architecture and design announced annually at UNESCO." On Saturday, PM Modi also fired a tweet lauding the architectural brilliance of Smritivan Earthquake Museum.
PM Modi wrote, "Smritivan in Kutch is a tribute to those we lost in the tragic Earthquake of 2001. It is a reminder of human resilience and courage as well. Glad that this Museum has found a place on the World Selection for the Prix Versailles Museums 2024."
What is the Smritivan Earthquake Museum?
As per reports, the Smritivan Earthquake Memorial Museum is at number 3 on the prestigious Prix Versailles list. Before the Bhuj Museum, the A4 Art Museum in Chengdu, China, and the Grand Egyptian Museum in Giza, Egypt are the top two. Other museums on the list include the Simose Art Museum in Hiroshima, Japan, Paleis Het Loo in Apeldoorn, Netherlands, Oman Across Ages Museum in Manah, Oman, and the Polish History Museum in Warsaw, Poland.
For the unversed, the Smritivan Earthquake Museum was inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on August 28, 2022. It commemorates the lives lost during the devastating earthquake in 2001. According to the museum's official website, the facility spans 11,500 square meters and is divided into seven thematic blocks: Rebirth, Rediscover, Restore, Rebuild, Rethink, Relive, and Renew, each representing a different aspect of the museum's mission.