Casablanca Opens Its First Museum

Every city holds a story, and today, Casablanca finally has a place to tell its own.

Fez – Casablanca finally has a museum to tell its own story. The Villa Carl Ficke, a beautiful house built in 1913, opened its doors again on Thursday, February 27. But this time, it’s not just a house. It’s the Museum of Casablanca’s Memory.

This place holds more than walls and windows. It holds memories. It tells how Casablanca grew through its streets, its buildings, its art, and its people.

Architect Salima Naji brought the house back to life. Now, it holds paintings from the famous Casablanca School and sculptures by Ikram Kabbaj.

On opening day, people gathered to see this new piece of Casablanca’s heart. According to le 360, Culture Minister Mohamed Mehdi Bensaid said:

“Today, we give Casablanca something it never had, a real museum for its own story. People call this city modern and open to the world, but there’s so much more. This museum shows the deep beauty of its past.”

The Villa Carl Ficke stood tall for more than 100 years. It saw the city change. It changed too. It became different things over the decades. Now, it finally has a home, a museum for everyone.

Mehdi Qotbi, head of Morocco’s National Museums Foundation, explained how it all started:

“The local officials wanted Casablanca to have a place to remember. They chose this villa because it tells the story not just of Casablanca, but of Morocco too,” he said..

“They gave me the responsibility to make it happen, and they trusted Salima Naji to bring the villa back to life. Isabelle Timsit created the whole museum design.”

The museum takes visitors on a journey. Every room shows a different piece of Casablanca’s soul.

The History Room:

How Casablanca was born, how it grew into the city we know today.

Villa Carl Ficke’s Story:

The house itself, its stunning neo-Moorish design and why it matters.

Casablanca, a Place for Architectural Experiments:

How Casablanca became a playground for creative architects from all over the world

The Art of Casablanca:

Paintings and works from the Casablanca School, showing the city’s artistic side.

Inside the museum, visitors find objects and paintings that show Casablanca’s story. Many of them come from the Casablanca School, one of the city’s proudest artistic movements.

In the garden and inside the villa, you also see Ikram Kabbaj’s sculptures. Each piece holds years of her work.

“I spent four years creating these sculptures in my studio,” Ikram said. “Seeing them here, in the neighborhood where I grew up, in this historic house, it’s emotional. It feels like they finally belong.”

Turning this villa into a museum wasn’t easy. But the city, the council, and local leaders believed in it. Nabila Rmili, President of Casablanca’s City Council, explained:

“This house has stood here since 1913. It saw so much. But Casablanca never had a museum to call its own.

That was a real gap. With everyone’s help, we made this happen. The restoration cost nearly 30 million dirhams. Now, the National Museums Foundation will run it, and the city will take care of the building itself.”

Salima Naji, known for her work restoring historic buildings, took care to respect every piece of the villa’s past while preparing it for its future.

French architect Jean-Michel Villemotte visited and couldn’t hide his admiration:

“This villa has a spirit and a soul. It was built before the 1930s, with Moroccan touches everywhere: cornices, moldings, beautiful balconies. Even the rhythm of the facade feels alive. It’s elegant, like a small palace, perfectly placed on the hill. Restoring this house brought out all those beautiful details again.”

This isn’t a quiet, dusty museum. It’s a place for stories, for conversations.

Zineb Diouri, the museum’s curator, said it best:

“This museum holds Casablanca’s memory. But memory isn’t just objects, it’s voices, feelings, stories. We want people, especially Casablancais, to come, to talk, to remember together.”

The museum opens its doors to everyone starting tomorrow. And during Ramadan, entry is free.