Musée des arts et métiers

The Lumière brothers’ camera, the first plane that succeeded at leaving the ground, and the ancestor of the automobile dating back to the reign of King Louis XV - all the greatest inventions to have revolutionised civilisation can be found at the Arts and Crafts Museum.

Founded in 1794 in the old priory of St-Martin des Champs with the aim of preserving technical tools and inventions from the Industrial Revolution, today the museum is a fantastic repository of 80,000 objects and 15,000 technical drawings, all organised into seven themes: Scientific Instruments, Materials, Construction, Communication, Energy, Mechanics and Transportation.

Time Machine(s)

In the monumental nave of the former church, as well as the museum attic and the splendid main staircase, you’ll come upon a whole host of wonders, including Louis Blériot’s incredible plane, which was the first to cross the English Channel; Foucault’s pendulum used to demonstrate the rotation of the earth; the first mechanical calculator by Blaise Pascal; and the rare and fascinating automaton known as the Dulcimer Player, which belonged to Marie-Antoinette.

Scientific “interpreters” do demonstrations of some of the exceptional instruments, and for more fun discoveries, guided visits with hands-on workshops are organised every Sunday for children aged 7 to 12, accompanied by their parents.

Even more discoveries await you in the museums and cultural sites in Paris Region.