48°53′44″N2°23′17″E / 48.89556°N 2.38806°E /48.89556; 2.38806
 La Cité des Sciences | |
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| Established | 13 March 1986 |
|---|---|
| Location | Parc de la Villette, Paris, France |
| Type | Science museum |
| Visitors | 1,992,823 (2022)[1] |
| Director | Claudie Haigneré |
| Public transit access |     Porte de la Villette |
| Website | www |
TheCité des Sciences et de l'Industrie (French pronunciation:[sitedesjɑ̃sedəlɛ̃dystʁi], "City of Science and Industry", abbreviatedla CSI)[2][3] or simplyCSI[4] is a largescience museum in Europe. Located in theParc de la Villette in Paris, France, it is one of the three dozen French Cultural Centers of Science, Technology and Industry (CCSTI), promoting science and science culture.
About five million people visit the Cité each year. Attractions include aplanetarium, asubmarine (theArgonaute), anIMAX theatre (La Géode) and special areas for children and teenagers. The CSI is classified as apublic establishment of an industrial and commercial character, an establishment specialising in the fostering of scientific and technical culture. Created on the initiative of PresidentGiscard 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 32 metres high, 32 metres wide and 8 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 3rdInternational Salon for Peace Initiatives.
In 2009, the Cité des Sciences and the Palais de la Découverte were brought together in a common establishment, named Universcience, withEPIC status.[5]
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 15 September 1980, was designed by the architectAdrien Fainsilber and the engineering firm Rice Francis Ritchie (RFR Engineers).[6][7] It was opened on 13 March 1986, inaugurated byFrançois Mitterrand upon the occasion of the encounter of theGiotto space probe withHalley's Comet.
| Exhibitions | Shows | Resources | Facilities | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Level 2 | Two permanent + two temporary exhibitions Activity points | Planetarium | Snack bar | |
| Level 1 | Six permanent + two temporary exhibitions Greenhouse Activity points | Snack bar | ||
| Level 0 | Cité des Enfants, 2–7-year-olds Cité des Enfants, 5–12-year-olds Shadows and light Argonaute submarine | Louis-Lumière cinema Cinaxe cinema | Library (BSI) – children's section Auditorium | Information desk, ticket desk Café, Shop Post office Cloakroom Cash machine |
| Level −1 | Multimedia Library (BSI) Vocal guidance Health Information Digital Forum | La Villette Conference Centre Group Cloakroom | ||
| Level −2 | Géode | Aquarium | Restaurant Cafeteria Café Car Parks |
It is accessible byMétro Line 7 at thePorte de la Villette station and bybus lines 60, 71, 75, 139, 150, 151, 152 and 170. Thetramway T3b was opened in December 2012.[8]
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| Geographic | |
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