The Centre George Pompidou is a vast postmodern and high-tech architectural space that hosts the Musée National d'Art Moderne (the largest modern art museum in Europe), as well as a large public library and a centre for music and acoustic research. Its construction was controversial, as it was necessary to demolish the emblematic market that stood at that location at Les Halles, and it was initially despised by many Parisians for its unusual architectural aesthetic, which many thought clashed with the city's classical and sophisticated style.
