The Pavillon de l'eau is a museum devoted to

water Water (chemical formula ) is an Inorganic compound, inorganic, transparent, tasteless, odorless, and Color of water, nearly colorless chemical substance, which is the main constituent of Earth's hydrosphere and the fluids of all known living ...

belonging to the City of Paris and managed by Eau de Paris, the municipal agency in charge of production and distribution of water in Paris. The Pavillon de l’eau offers a permanent exhibition about the water supply history of the city, temporary exhibitions, children's activities (educational workshops, screenings, performances etc.) and thematic meetings.

History

In 1828, on the ancient road to Versailles, a steam pump was installed in order to pump water from the Seine to supply the municipalities of Auteuil and Passy. By the end of the nineteenth century, the old steam pumps were obsolete. Consequently, the City Council of Paris voted the construction of a new pumping station to replace the previous one with newer technology. The station (named station A) consisted of two buildings, the engine room and boiler room, both characterized by a brick structure and large roofs topped by skylights to allow sufficient ventilation and lighting. However, the new pumping station became outdated, especially regarding its coal consumption. So at the end of the

First World War World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

a new project was launched to attach a new pump to the previous one, referred to as station B, which was electrically powered. In 1955, station A was dismantled and the engine room became primarily used as a garage, and then as an office for administrative services until 2007, when the Pavillon de l'eau was inaugurated.

Permanent exhibition

''Alimenter Paris en eau'' is an exhibition about the water supply of Paris and its history from Roman

aqueducts Aqueduct may refer to: Structures *Aqueduct (bridge), a bridge to convey water over an obstacle, such as a ravine or valley *Navigable aqueduct, or water bridge, a structure to carry navigable waterway canals over other rivers, valleys, railw ...

to nowadays. Paris was born and grew up with water. Since the beginning of our times, when Paris was still called

Lutetia The Gallo-Roman town of ''Lutetia'' (''Lutetia Parisiorum'' in Latin, in French ''Lutèce'') was the predecessor of the modern-day city of Paris. It was founded in about the middle of the 3rd century BCE by the Parisii, a Gallic tribe. Trac ...

, the city has experienced four different periods of production and distribution of water. The

Roman age In modern historiography, ancient Rome refers to Roman civilisation from the founding of the city of Rome in the 8th century BC to the collapse of the Western Roman Empire in the 5th century AD. It encompasses the Roman Kingdom (753–509 B ...

, the

Middle Ages In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the late 5th to the late 15th centuries, similar to the post-classical period of global history. It began with the fall of the Western Roman Empire ...

, the Modern era and the nineteenth century

Industrial Revolution The Industrial Revolution was the transition to new manufacturing processes in Great Britain, continental Europe, and the United States, that occurred during the period from around 1760 to about 1820–1840. This transition included going f ...

.Introduction to ''Alimenter Paris en eau'', Eau de Paris, Pavillon de l'eau, 2010

Temporary exhibitions gallery

File:Exposition Les défis de l'eau.jpg File:Exposition Seine parisienne.JPG File:Exposition Bob l'Eponge.JPG File:Le jour où la Seine débordera 01.jpg File:Exposition Le trésor de l'Himalaya.JPG File:Exposition Ta mere en tong.JPG File:Exposition Metamorphoses des fluids.JPG File:Exposition À boire, à voir.jpg File:Exposition Enquete sur l'eau.jpg File:Exposition Eau sur Mars.jpg File:Exposition O! l'expo.JPG

Notes and references

External links

Pavillon de l'eau

Eau de Paris official website

Paris official website
{{16th arrondissement of Paris Museums in Paris Buildings and structures in the 16th arrondissement of Paris Water supply and sanitation in France Technology museums in France 2007 establishments in France Museums established in 2007