Comments on: The Musée des Arts et Métiers, Paris

By: Steampunk On One’s Commute | thumbtack

Steampunk On One’s Commute | thumbtack — Fri, 11 Jul 2008 17:24:54 +0000

[...] By golly, I love seeing steampunk in the everyday, even if it is a country that I don’t live in. This particular photograph, taken by anesterik, is taken in the Arts & Métiers metro station in Paris. The Musée des Arts + Metiers is a deliciously fun museum, full of Victorian machines, laboratories, and amazing industrial creations. (Mentioned before, here.) [...]

By: zeebra33

zeebra33 — Fri, 16 Nov 2007 18:17:59 +0000

I spent almost all my sundays with my father at the Museum des Arts et Métiers. It is really a wonderful place which, with Jules Verne's books fascinated me. Do not miss l'Avion d'Ader the supposedly "first plane" powered by steam, which is on the photo (bat like machine). It competes with the Wright Brother's plane for the title of the "first heavier than air" flying machine. Try also to see the "first car", this time not disputed title, by Cugnot, really impressive charriot with primitive steampower engine builded before the french revolution which still shows on the copper steam reservoir the mark of its collision... with a wall. Please pay attention to the Bleriot's plane, the first to cross the Channel, in 1909, a real marsterpiece of minimal engineering with strings and bamboo poles......

And the rooms devoted to boats, train, first machines to knit socks and mechanical robots from the 17th century as "La joueuse de tympanon"

Only the Science Museum in London can compete....but with less magic

Zeebra33

By: Doctor Demetrius Radcliff

Doctor Demetrius Radcliff — Tue, 06 Nov 2007 20:47:29 +0000

Was this made by DaVinchi?

By: jim ramsay

jim ramsay — Tue, 09 Oct 2007 07:06:51 +0000

i was going to mention the subway station ‘Arts et Métiers’ as a fitting way to approach the museum and i was also going to mention that throughout the museum there are sets of ‘railway’ tracks embedded in the floor- probably to move some of the weightier exhibits… i wonder what the device that runs along the track looks like…

By: wolfpaw

wolfpaw — Thu, 04 Oct 2007 17:30:36 +0000

I wish I’d known about this back in 1996 when I visited Paris. At the time, Notre Dame was covered in scaffolding (being cleaned, I think) and my time would have been much better spent touring this museum instead. If by chance I get to visit Paris again, I’ll make certain that I get to see it.

By: fciron

fciron — Thu, 04 Oct 2007 13:35:26 +0000

ooh, online tour. I tried to go there when I was in Paris ten years ago but they were closed because of a city-wide strike. No I can at least see pictures.

By: Robur

Robur — Wed, 03 Oct 2007 20:54:18 +0000

I remember as a student attending some applied mathematics courses in the ‘Ecole des Arts et Métiers’. A magic place.

You could also visit the subway station ‘Arts et Métiers’ which has been designed by Schuitten a famous belgian graphist creator. He essentially used copper to design it. Greatly inspired by the Nautilus, the roof of the station has huge gears. Here a big photo: http://www.spirit-of-paris.com/wp-content/photos/paris/divers/arts_et_metiers_spirit_of_paris.jpg

By: steve sparkes

steve sparkes — Wed, 03 Oct 2007 20:51:49 +0000

I recomend “Foucaults Pendulum” by Umberto Ecco the finale of which is set in this museum