Le Palais De La Découverte

[Trev Mailloux]

Itwas time for the Palais des Arts to turn to science. The result of a three-way project shared between Jean Perrin, the Front Populaire and the International Exhibition of 1937, the Palais de la Dcouverte was the embodiment of republican ideals.

The Palais d'Antin, the west wing of the Grand Palais, would become home to this project. Originally designed as a temporary exhibition prior to the construction of a large science museum in Paris, the Palais de la Dcouverte welcomed 222,500 visitors between May and November 1937.

For Jean Perrin, Under-secretary of State for Education in charge of Scientific Research (1936-1937) and winner of the Nobel Prize for physics in 1926, this new era of progress was aimed at everyone, by demonstrating science as a real pursuit in its experiments and its implementation.

Designed in a rational, modern and geometric fashion, panelling in plywood, stucco and vellum covered the faade, the classical ornaments, the monumental staircases and the interior of the Palais d'Antin from 1937 until 1985.

The general layout of the Palais de la Dcouverte was awarded to the Germain Debr firm of architects, experts in laboratory architecture, Armand Nret and Maurice Boutterin, assisted by Nicolas Kristy, working in collaboration with Andr Lveill, Palais de la Dcouverte director from 1937 to 1960.

Panel presenting illnesses due to malnutrition under German occupation, Medicine room at the Palais de la Dcouverte, photographed in 1955 (1955) by Palais de la dcouverteOriginal Source: Palais de la Dcouverte

This renovation concerned the rooms dedicated to medicine and biology. The intention at the time was present statistics and medical reports and also provide public medical advice on preventing certain illnesses.

The instrument was installed by the Zeiss company, modelled on the planetarium at the Munich Science Museum. It was a considerable success and presentations of the skies took place every hour from 10 am to 7 pm.

In 1951, it was decided that it should be installed in the Hall d'Antin at the Palais de la Dcouverte. Five months' work was required before it could open on 27 June 1952, in the presence of French President Vincent Auriol.

A scientific mediator from the Palais de la Dcouverte behind the console of the planetarium, April 1970. (1970) by Palais de la dcouverte/ PensivyOriginal Source: Palais de la Dcouverte

This decision was a direct result of the Hall d'Antin's classification as a Historic Monument. Leaving behind the 23 metre dome that could hold 370 people, the new projection room measured 15 metres in diameter and held 208 seats.

Live from the Palais de la Dcouverte for the 10th anniversary of the Apollo XI mission, Alain Jrme, presenter of "Dossiers de l'cran" with guest Neil Armstrong, 11 July 1979. (11 juillet 1979) by Palais de la dcouverteOriginal Source: Palais de la Dcouverte

Installation of a giant screen at the entrance to the Palais de la Dcouverte, for the live broadcast of the moon landings in 1969. (1969) by Palais de la dcouverte/ PineauOriginal Source: Palais de la dcouverte/ Pineau

The Moon Landings, July 1969: Live broadcast of the event on the "Hdiophore" giant screen and colour television, at the Palais de la Dcouverte. (1969) by Palais de la dcouverte/ PineauOriginal Source: Palais de la Dcouverte

The scientific mediation programme also changed to offer a special planetarium show, "The journey from Earth to the Moon: how astronauts perceive the Earth's starry crescent from the surface of the Moon".

For the 10th anniversary of man's first steps on the moon, the Dossiers de l'cran television programme chose the Palais de la Dcouverte for a special live broadcast with Alain Jrme and Commander Neil Armstrong on 11 July 1979.

Panel from the general presentation of the Palais, created for the travelling exhibition aimed at prisoners of war in Germany, 1942. (1942) by Palais de la dcouverteOriginal Source: Palais de la dcouverte

By insisting on national identity, the "Palais de la Dcouverte, a French journey" exhibition was in fact a propaganda piece for the Vichy government, with the emphasis on national cohesion, one of their key themes.

View of the damage caused to the Palais de la Dcouverte by German incendiary devices in August 1944, more specifically in the organic chemistry room. (1944) by Palais de la dcouverte / BerthelomierOriginal Source: Palais de la Dcouverte

THE DARK YEARS

The monument was used for several exhibitions of Nazi propaganda. During the liberation of Paris, incendiary devices fired in the nave set fire to the building. Soldiers taking refuge inside were held as prisoners by the Germans.

Exhibition "The monsters that surround us" presented at the Palais from 16 October 1993 to 15 April 1994. Performance in front of a robotic scorpion. (Du 16 octobre 1993 au 15 avril 1994) by Palais de la dcouverte / C. RousselinOriginal Source: Palais de la Dcouverte

THE PALAIS DE LA DCOUVERTE EXHIBITIONS

From 1937, the Palais de la Dcouverte hosted temporary exhibitions that complemented the broad range of experiences and presentations in the permanent collection.

Model of a Tyrannosaurus rex installed at the front of the Palais d'Antin (Grand Palais), to welcome visitors to the temporary exhibition "The hunger of the dinosaurs" presented from 10 December 2009 to 2 May 2010. (du 10 dcembre 2009 au 2 mai 2010) by Palais de la dcouverte / C. RousselinOriginal Source: Palais de la Dcouverte

Every year, the Palais de la Dcouverte would organise three or four temporary exhibitions around current scientific events. They would also come to enrich and diversify the permanent collection, which would adapt and offer a new programme according to the various themes.

It hosted and organised lectures, conferences, competitions and official events. These activities also helped in its role as a scientific mediator by encouraging an interest in science in the youngest of visitors.

We would like to thank all the people who have contributed to the construction of this journey through the Grand Palais and those who have given us valuable time and information as well as permission to reproduce their documentation.

The Palais de la dcouverte is a science museum in Paris that is housed in the west wing of the 19th-century Grand Palais. The museum was founded in the run-up to the Exposition Internationale des Arts et Techniques dans la Vie Moderne, which took place in Paris in 1937. There are permanent exhibits, with interactive demonstrations around mathematics, physics, astronomy, chemistry, geology and biology. The museum also has a planetarium with a Zeiss projector and a 15-meter dome. The museum has merged with the Cit des sciences et de l'industrie, located in the Parc de la Villette, presenting themselves as two sites of Universcience.

Its reopening is eagerly awaited by lovers of art and science: the Palais de la Dcouverte is currently closed to the public. A major renovation project, launched in 2020, is underway to give a second lease of life to this temple of knowledge, housed in a wing of the Grand Palais. The Palais de la Dcouverte is due to reopen its doors on June 6, 2025, with new itineraries, a new offer and a rich program adapted to all audiences.

More precisely, at the beginning of June 2025, the Science Museum will reopen with a festival and a temporary exhibition dedicated toartificial intelligence. Younger visitors will also be able to discover the Palais des Enfants (for ages 2 to 10) with the Transparence exhibition. The permanent collections, planetarium and laboratories will not reopen until 2026.

Discover the new cultural offering of the Palais de la Dcouverte for its reopening in 2025.

Currently closed for renovations, the Palais de la Dcouverte has announced its new cultural offering for its reopening in 2025, featuring scientific experiments and laboratories for the whole family to learn while having fun! [Read more]

In 1937, to coincide with the ParisWorld Fair , a new kind of museum was created: the Palais de la Dcouverte. Its aim was to showcase innovations and practical science, through experiments carried out in real time, in front of visitors. The aim of this museum was to popularize scientific practices. Housed in the west wing of the Grand Palais, the museum quickly won over the public.

Mathematics, astronomy, physics, chemistry, biology, medicine: all fields of science are explored and exhibited. From 1937 to the present day, the Palais de la Dcouverte has grown and evolved to become an essential part of Parisian culture. With its exhibitions, conferences, meetings and experiments, the museum has found its audience.

Almost 90 years after its inauguration, the Palais de la Dcouverte is getting a facelift. The work undertaken should give the museum a completely new look, as it renews and modernizes its cultural offering. Visitors will soon be able to discover a whole new range of experiences and discoveries.

Five science laboratories will enable us to test, explore and experience scientific experiments involving computers, life and science. Themed islands of curiosity will offer mini-exhibitions based on research or current scientific events. Large themed rooms, both new and iconic, will tackle different universes such as space, the equatorial garden, the electricity room... All equipped, of course, with interactive digital devices.

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