The collections of the Musée des arts et métiers

Do you want to discover some of the greatest and most amazing inventions of centuries past?

At the Musée des arts et métiers you can go on a journey through history’s most incredible and revolutionary discoveries – all in the company of an expert guide.

As one of the world’s oldest museums dedicated to industry and technology, the Musée des arts et métiers traces its origins back to the collections of the famed inventor Jacques de Vaucanson in 1752. Fast-forwarding to 1794, in the midst of the French revolution, the National Conservatory of Arts and Crafts (CNAM) was founded, and since then, the museum’s collections have grown exponentially. Today, the museum houses over 80,000 objects and 15,000 designs & drawings.

Your trip through time begins in the scientific instruments collection, and winds through six more fascinating permanent collections: materials, construction, communication, energy, mechanics and transportation.

Along the way, you’ll discover how Blaise Pascal devised the very first calculator in 1642, how Antoine-Laurent de Lavoisier laid the foundations for modern chemistry in 1785, how Clément Ader’s “Aeroplane Nº 3” was the first of its kind to take off in 1897, and – more recently – how the first telephones, televisions and computers revolutionised the way in which we live today.

At the end of all things, you can go with your guide to see the earth itself turn in the most unexpected of places: the church of Saint-Martin-des-Champs. Here, you can witness how Foucault’s famous pendulum experiment still demonstrates our planet’s rotation on its axis.

It’s a marvellous adventure that will pique your curiosity and reveal the fascinating history of remarkable inventions that have shaped our society today: we guarantee that you’ll want to tell everyone all about it !