The museum houses the original Foucault pendulum, which provided the first physical proof of the Earth's rotation in 1851.
It contains the 1770 Fardier à vapeur, the world's first steam-powered automobile built by Nicolas-Joseph Cugnot.
The collection includes Blaise Pascal's Pascaline, one of the earliest mechanical calculators.
The museum preserves the laboratory equipment used by Antoine Lavoisier, the father of modern chemistry.
The site features a rare, complete reconstruction of the astronomical clock of Strasbourg.
The laboratory of Léon Foucault was relocated and partially reconstructed inside the museum walls.
The museum displays the Ader Éole, the steam-powered aircraft that allegedly achieved the first powered flight in 1890.
The library is housed in the former monastic refectory, a space designed by Pierre de Montreuil in the 13th century.
It holds one of the largest collections of historical weighing and measuring devices in Europe.
The Musée des Arts et Métiers is one of the oldest science and technology museums in the world, founded in 1794 by Henri Grégoire. It is housed within the former priory of Saint-Martin-des-Champs, integrating industrial history with medieval architecture. The collection features over 2,400 objects, including scientific instruments, materials, construction models, communication devices, and energy technology. The museum is organized into seven distinct collections spanning the 16th century to the present day. It famously holds the original model of the Statue of Liberty by Frédéric Auguste Bartholdi. The site is a repository for the Conservatoire National des Arts et Métiers, a major French research institution. The nave of the former church serves as the main exhibition space, displaying large-scale transport and industrial machinery. It functions as both a public exhibition space and a site for academic historical preservation.
The central nave of the deconsecrated church, looking up at the hanging aircraft and the Foucault pendulum.
Use the audio guides to navigate the technical complexity of the vast collections.
Focus on the 'Church' nave area first, as it houses the most impressive large-scale mechanical exhibits.
Check the museum website for temporary exhibition schedules before visiting.
Trying to see every single item in the collection in one visit, which leads to fatigue; prioritize specific departments.
Closed on Mondays.
No flash photography is allowed near sensitive historical artifacts; maintain a quiet volume in the restored chapel area.
