The Cité des Sciences et de l'Industrie (, "City of Science and Industry", abbreviated la CSI) or simply CSI is a large
science museum
A science museum is a museum devoted primarily to science. Older science museums tended to concentrate on static displays of objects related to natural history, paleontology, geology, Industry (manufacturing), industry and Outline of industrial ...
in Europe. Located in the
Parc de la Villette
The Parc de la Villette () is the third-largest park in Paris, in area, located at the northeastern edge of the city in the 19th arrondissement of Paris, 19th arrondissement. The park houses one of the largest concentrations of cultural venues ...
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 a
planetarium
A planetarium (: planetariums or planetaria) is a theatre built primarily for presenting educational and entertaining shows about astronomy and the night sky, or for training in celestial navigation.
A dominant feature of most planetariums is ...
, a
submarine
A submarine (often shortened to sub) is a watercraft capable of independent operation underwater. (It differs from a submersible, which has more limited underwater capability.) The term "submarine" is also sometimes used historically or infor ...
(the
Argonaute), an
IMAX
IMAX is a proprietary system of High-definition video, high-resolution cameras, film formats, film projectors, and movie theater, theaters known for having very large screens with a tall aspect ratio (image), aspect ratio (approximately ei ...
theatre (
La Géode) and special areas for children and teenagers. The CSI is classified as a
public establishment of an industrial and commercial character, an establishment specialising in the fostering of scientific and technical culture. Created on the initiative of President
Giscard 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 3rd
International 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, with
EPIC
Epic commonly refers to:
* Epic poetry, a long narrative poem celebrating heroic deeds and events significant to a culture or nation
* Epic film, a genre of film defined by the spectacular presentation of human drama on a grandiose scale
Epic(s) ...
status.
Features

* Explore (levels 1, 2, and 3)
* The library of science and industry (Médiathèque, level −1)
* City of children (level 0)
* Auditorium and things (level 0)
*
Louis Lumière theatre (level 0)
* Planetarium (located between exhibits on level 2)
* Numeric crossroads (level −1)
* City of careers (level −1)
* City of health (level −1)
* Meeting place (level −1)
* Aquarium (level −2)
* Jean bertin hall (level 0)
*
Condorcet
Marie Jean Antoine Nicolas de Caritat, Marquis of Condorcet (; ; 17 September 1743 – 29 March 1794), known as Nicolas de Condorcet, was a French philosopher, political economist, politician, and mathematician. His ideas, including suppo ...
hall (level 0)
* Picnic area (level 0)
* Post office (level 0)
* Store for scientific books and toys (level 0)
* Restaurants (level −2)
*''
Argonaute'' museum ship
History
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 architect
Adrien Fainsilber and the engineering firm Rice Francis Ritchie (
RFR Engineers). It was opened on 13 March 1986, inaugurated by
François Mitterrand
François Maurice Adrien Marie Mitterrand (26 October 19168 January 1996) was a French politician and statesman who served as President of France from 1981 to 1995, the longest holder of that position in the history of France. As a former First ...
upon the occasion of the encounter of the
Giotto
Giotto di Bondone (; – January 8, 1337), known mononymously as Giotto, was an List of Italian painters, Italian painter and architect from Florence during the Late Middle Ages. He worked during the International Gothic, Gothic and Italian Ren ...
space probe with
Halley's Comet
Halley's Comet is the only known List of periodic comets, short-period comet that is consistently visible to the naked eye from Earth, appearing every 72–80 years, though with the majority of recorded apparitions (25 of 30) occurring after ...
.
Floor directory
Access
It is accessible by
Métro Line 7 at the
Porte de la Villette station and by
bus lines 60, 71, 75, 139, 150, 151, 152 and 170. The
tramway T3b was opened in December 2012.
[RATP]
See also
*
Cité de la musique
The Cité de la Musique (, "City of Music"), also known as Philharmonie 2, is a group of institutions dedicated to music and situated in the Parc de la Villette, 19th arrondissement of Paris, France. It was designed with the nearby Conservatoi ...
, City of Music
*
La Géode, an
IMAX
IMAX is a proprietary system of High-definition video, high-resolution cameras, film formats, film projectors, and movie theater, theaters known for having very large screens with a tall aspect ratio (image), aspect ratio (approximately ei ...
domed theatre
*
List of museums in Paris
There are around 130 museums in Paris, France, within city limits. This list also includes suburban museums within the "Grand Paris" area, such as the Air and Space Museum.
The sixteen :fr: Musées de la Ville de Paris, museums of the City of Pari ...
*
Le Zénith, a concert arena in Parc de la Villette
*
Parc de la Villette
The Parc de la Villette () is the third-largest park in Paris, in area, located at the northeastern edge of the city in the 19th arrondissement of Paris, 19th arrondissement. The park houses one of the largest concentrations of cultural venues ...
*
List of tourist attractions in Paris
Paris, the capital of France, has an annual 30 million foreign visitors, and so is one of the most visited cities in the world. Paris's sights include monuments and architecture, such as its Arc de Triomphe, Eiffel Tower and neo-classic Baron H ...
References
External links
* includin
light version48 photos of the Cité
{{DEFAULTSORT:Cite des Sciences et de l'Industrie
1986 establishments in France
Industry museums
Museums in Paris
National museums of France
Buildings and structures in the 19th arrondissement of Paris
Planetaria in France
Technology museums in France
Science museums in France
Museums established in 1986