Paris1972-Versailles2003

It was a wonderful trip, and I thank you for following it along with me. And we go back to Paris, it would be wonderful to be back;;; in the meantime, here is a wonderful monument to see. I will like to expand on a museum not as known in Paris but just as nice as any.   As the times went by just happened to visit for meetings !!! It rent space for special events and I happened to be on them ! Of course, later on came back with the family for more and then more. Therefore, let me tell you on the Musée des Arts et Métiers of Paris, interiors !!! Hope you enjoy the post as I.

The Museum of Arts and Crafts or Musée des Arts et Métiers is a museum of Science and Technology, as the National Conservatory of Arts and Crafts, in the 3éme arrondissement of Paris. It was founded in 1794 on a proposal by Abbé Grégoire at the National Convention. The Conservatory of Arts and Crafts was originally an institution designed to train technicians and engineers using demonstrations made from scientific and technical objects. While the Cnam is now a major institution of higher education and research, its museum retains all the machines, models, designs that were used throughout the 19C and 20C. It continues to enrich its collections, in particular with the national mission for the safeguarding of the contemporary scientific and technical heritage, which has been entrusted to it since 2003 by the Ministry of Higher Education and Research.

The permanent exhibition of the Museum of Arts and Crafts is organized into seven thematic collections themselves divided into four chronological periods (before 1750, 1750-1850, 1850-1950, after 1950): Scientific Instruments, Materials, Construction, Communication, Energy, Mechanics and Transports. Additional presentations focus on particular points: the Lavoisier laboratory, the Automation Theater, Madame de Genlis’s teaching models. The ancient Church presents, among other things, the experience of the rotation of the Earth with the help of the Foucault’s Pendulum.

A graduate of the École Centrale, engineer Maurice Leyat was one of the French pioneers of aviation and the automobile. He built his first glider in 1908 and supplied several airplanes to the army during the Great War or WWI. In 1913, he invented the “Hélicocycle” and then, in 1919, the “Hélica.” (see pic) ,The example preserved by the Musée des Arts et Métiers was built in 1921. It is a four-wheeled, two-seater, powered by an ABC engine. The vehicle’s aerodynamic profile and low weight (225 kg) allowed it to reach high speeds, on the order of 100 kph.

The Panhard & Levassor Type A M2A, (see same pic) equipped with the Phénix engine, are valuable witnesses to the history of the automobile. It embodies the technical innovation of the late 19C and the partnership between Daimler and Levassor. The Phénix engine was developed to replace the Daimler V2 engine, which was considered too heavy and underperforming. It was introduced in 1896 and powered several iconic models of the era. This automobile competed in races such as the Paris–Marseille–Paris as early as 1896.

The former church of Saint Martin des Champs is, in my opinion, the most impressive part of the museum. The place itself is already very beautiful; The church was built in the 11C and has been transformed into a wing of the museum. The most interesting aspect is how the space has been used. In the apse,(see pic) the entrance, a Foucault pendulum, one of only three on display in Paris, rotates tirelessly at the bottom of a wire over 18 meters long. A massive scaffolding allows visitors to admire the church from above and get up close to the suspended airplanes.

The Blériot XI Breguet REP.1 (see pic) Aeroplane (REP for Robert Esnault Pelterie) from 1906 Louis Blériot’s airplane is now suspended under the vault of the former church of Saint-Martin-des-Champs, and visitors can easily appreciate the feat that this crossing represented, the true courage of its creator, as this airplane seems so fragile, even rudimentary. The only place where the original Blériot XI, which made the crossing, is kept and exhibited, entered its collections with great fanfare on October 13, 1909.

Spanning over 7,000 square meters, the museum houses 82,000 objects: from steam engines to early computers, including 19C automata , a drawer-style camera for daguerreotypes from 1835, a Lavoisier gasometer from 1787, a marine chronometer No. 1 by Ferdinand Berthoud from 1760. Joseph Cugnot’s steam carriage, a model of which dating from 1771 is preserved in perfect condition, houses a remarkable astrolabe from 1569, the work of the Fleming Rennerus Arsenius, grandson of the mathematician Gemma Frisius. This instrument, essential for astronomers of the time, also played a crucial role in maritime navigation, helping sailors to orient themselves. The standard meter, a reference unit of measurement adopted on March 26, 1791, by the Constituent Assembly, following a proposal from the Academy of Sciences, was also on display. The French revolutionaries defined the meter as 1/10,000,000th of the distance of a quarter of the Earth’s meridian, the imaginary line connecting the two poles of the Earth. The standard meter was finally established in 1799 and deposited in the National Archives. In the grand staircase, it is impossible to miss the Éole, a precursor to Clément Ader’s 1897 airplane. The museum also displays some very old cars, including an example of the Ford Model T, and Scott’s steam engine.

The Arts et Métiers museum is by the metro Arts et Métiers of line 3 and 11 .  However, I will get off at Metro Rambuteau line 11 near the Centre Pompidou and walk along Rue Beaubourg to the Arts et Métiers museum on a nice walk in Paris, and I like it.

The Arts and Crafts museum of Paris :  https://www.arts-et-metiers.net/musee/visitor-information

The Paris tourist office on the museum:  https://parisjetaime.com/eng/culture/musee-des-arts-et-metiers-p3596

The official Conservatoire National des arts et Métiers of Paris on the museum : https://www.cnam.eu/museum/

And for the museum lovers, the Paris museum pass includes the Arts and Crafts museum:  https://www.parismuseumpass.fr/musees/musee-arts-et-metiers

There you go folks, is really a nice place, and more time is needed indeed. Worth a visit , me think and we will be back eventually. After all, this is Paris in a museum! Again, hope you enjoy this post on the Musée des Arts et Métiers of Paris, interiors !!! as I

And as always, remember, happy travels, good health, and many cheers to all !!!