- Cité des Sciences et de l'Industrie
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Coordinates: 48°53′44″N 2°23′17″E / 48.895556°N 2.388056°E
Cité des Sciences et de l'Industrie 
La Cité des SciencesEstablished 13 March 1986 Location Paris Type Science museum Director Claudie Haigneré Public transit access Porte de la Villette
Website www.cite-sciences.fr The Cité des Sciences et de l'Industrie is the biggest science museum in Europe.[1] Located in Parc de la Villette in Paris, France, it is at the heart of the Cultural Center of Science, Technology and Industry (CCSTI), a center promoting science and science culture.
About five million people visit the Cité each year. Attractions include a planetarium, a submarine (the Argonaute (S636)), an IMAX theatre (La Géode) and special areas for children and teenagers.
The Cité is classified as a public establishment of an industrial and commercial character, an establishment specializing in the fostering of scientific and technical culture. Created on the initiative of President Giscard d'Estaing, the goal of the Cité is to spread scientific and technical knowledge among the public, particularly for youth, and to promote public interest in science, research and industry.
The most notable features of the "bioclimatic facade" facing the park are Les Serres - three greenhouse spaces each 20 metres high and 8 metres wide and 20 metres deep. The facades of Les Serres were the first structural glass walls to be constructed without framing or supporting fins.
Between 30 May and 1 June 2008, the museum hosted the 3rd International Salon for Peace Initiatives.
Contents
Features
La Cité des Sciences main hall escalator
- Explora (levels 1, 2, and 3)
- The library of science and industry (Médiathèque, level -1)
- City of children (level 0)
- Auditorium (level 0)
- Louis Lumière theater (level 0)
- Planetarium (located between exhibits on level 2)
- Numeric crossroads (level -1)
- City of careers (level -1)
- City of health (level -1)
- Meeting place (level -1)
- Aquarium (level -2)
- Jean bertin hall (level 0)
- Condorcet hall (level 0)
- Picnic area (level 0)
- Post office (level 0)
- Store for scientific books and toys (level 0)
- Restaurants (level -2)
History
The building is constructed around the vast steel trusses of an abattoir sales hall on which construction had halted in 1973. The transformation, commissioned on September 15, 1980, was designed by the architect Adrien Fainsilber and engineer Peter Rice. It was opened on March 13, 1986, inaugurated by François Mitterrand upon the occasion of the encounter of the Giotto space probe with Halley's Comet.
The presidents of the museum, listed chronologically:
- Maurice Lévy : 1985
- Christian Marbach : 1987
- Roger Lesgards : 1988
- Pierre David : 1993
- Gérard Théry : 1995
- Michel Demazure : 1998
- Jean-François Hébert : 2002
- François d'Aubert : July 26, 2007
- Claudie Haigneré : April 16, 2009
Floor Directory
Exhibitions Shows Resources Facilities Level 2 Two permanent + two temporary exhibitions
Activity pointsPlanetarium Snack bar Level 1 Six permanent + two temporary exhibitions + a greenhouse
Activity pointsSnack bar Level 0 Cité des Enfants, 2-7 year-olds
Cité des Enfants, 5-12 year-olds
Shadows and light
Argonaute submarineLouis-Lumière cinema
Cinaxe cinemaLibrary (BSI) - children's section
AuditoriumInformation desk, ticket desk
Café, Shop
Post office
Cloakroom
Cash machineLevel -1 Multimedia Library (BSI)
Vocal guidance
Health Information
Digital ForumLa Villette Conference Centre
Group CloakroomLevel -2 Géode Aquarium Restaurant
Cafeteria
Café
Car ParksAccess
It is accessible by Métro line 7 at the Porte de la Villette station and by bus lines PC2, 139, 150, 151, 249, and 75.
See also
References
- ^ Arfin, Ferne (11 January 2009). "France: Insider's guide to Paris". The Daily Telegraph. http://www.telegraph.co.uk/travel/destinations/europe/france/4177043/France-Insiders-guide-to-Paris.html. Retrieved 6 September 2009.
External links
Categories:- 1986 establishments
- Industry museums
- Museums in Paris
- National museums of France
- 19th arrondissement of Paris
- Planetaria
- Science museums
- Technology museums
- Sustainable buildings and structures
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