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300 Years of Inventions
TO begin with, this school of engineering and Its museum arc housed tn the former abbey of Saint Martin-in-the Fields. Although tt was restored In the 18lh century and partly tn 1930. most of tho buildings date from the 12th and 13th centuries and were themselves built on the site of a church from the 7th century. One of the builders was Pierre de Montreuil. the architect of the Sainle-Chapclk- tn Paris and of Notre-Dame. Visitors can appreciate the church, the monks' refectory and the "priory.
In 1794, a decision by the Convention allocated the buildings for a National Technical Museum (Musce National des Arts et Metiers). Thus, the 10th October 1794 saw the creation of "a public depository for machines, models tools, drawings, description and books concerning all kinds of techniques". The museum started with J Vaucanson's collection of works having belonged to the Royal Academy of Science and objects from the Crown Furniture Depository. It was set up from 1798. Since then it has been continually enriched by thousands of items from donations, bequests and acquisitions in all kinds of ar-
cas such as agriculture, printing, clock-making, physics, chemistry, mechanics, energy, astronomy, glassmaking, photography. electricity, telecommunications, cars, aircraft, railways, etc. As is often the case, there is only room to present a small part of the museum's collections.
The entrance to the museum leads directly to the former church. There are old cars: Cugnot s famous "Farther" which is the first automobile. It was driven by steam and dates from 1765. Then there are vehicles by the Bol Ice brothers, the "Manccllc" and the "Obclssanto", also driven by steam and dating 'from between 1877-1885, as well as others by Benz, Panhard, Scrpollet, etc. From the vaults hangs Bleriot's "Antoinette" (1909). a Breguct from 1910 and Clement Adcr's "Avion"
(1893). Around the edge, there is an increadiblc collection of bicycles and other two wheeled vehicles including the first motorcycle built by Millot In 1878. The whole of the nave Is taken up by a no less incrcadtble collection of internal combustion engines where one cun see that the V 8 and the star-shaped engine date from the end of last cen-l*ny. They surround Foucault s famous pendulum which has been swinging since 1852. And all that ts Just in the entrance to the museum.
Priceless collections
It would be quite impossible to list all the collections In the forty rooms or so. but here are a few of the most striking exhibits.
In the area of clock-making and precision instruments, there 1s a large number of
time-pieces signed by Berthoud. Breguet, Lacpautc and Janvier, astronomical instruments, Rhcinhold's sphere (16th century) and an extraordinary collection of precision tools. There is also the magnificent rose engine which belonged to Louis XVI and Is a marvel of technology. Further on there are automatons including KI Otzing's dulcimer (1780).
The whole development, of agricultural implements and public works equipment Is also presented.
Telecommunications (Baudot and Morse’s telegraph. Ericsson and Ader's telephone, etc) the beginnings of the wireless (Branly's "iron-fillings coherer" the triode lamp, the first transmitter on the Eiffel Tower...), X-ray tubes, cathode-ray tubes and the early stages of television. - Jean Cha brier