MUSÉE D’HISTOIRE ET DES SCIENCES
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The museum is worth a visit just for the beauty of its setting. Located in the heart of the Parc de la Perle, it is housed in the superb Villa Bartholoni, built in 1830. In brightly lit rooms with a superb view of the lake, a wide range of scientific objects dating from the 17th to 19th centuries are on display. They come from the cabinets of Geneva's scientists such as Saussure, Pictet de La Rive, Colladon, etc. We can admire some masterpieces: the famous astrolabe, dating back to the ancient Greeks, an instrument used by Arab astronomers and astrologers between the 8th and 16th centuries. It was used to measure time, to determine the length of the day, to take topographic readings or the height of the stars. This instrument was particularly important for navigators. It was used to measure the exact latitude where one is, thanks to the angle formed by the horizon and the height of the stars, and gave the local time during the day and night. The museum's collection also includes an armillary sphere, one of the oldest instruments designed to represent the universe, one of the first microscopes to study living aquatic creatures, the astronomical regulator that equipped the first observatory in Geneva, the famous barometer that Saussure took with him on his ascent of Mont Blanc, the first instrument to reproduce the aurora borealis, and many other fascinating instruments that retrace the evolution of science.
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Opening time and information on MUSÉE D’HISTOIRE ET DES SCIENCES
Science workshops are for families and groups. Wednesday afternoons at 3pm. Open every day except Tuesday 10am-5pm, free admission.
Message from Management
The Museum of the History of Science is located in the Villa Bartholoni, on the shores of Lake Geneva. You will find a collection of old scientific instruments from the cabinets of Geneva's scientists from the 17th to the 19th century: Saussure, Pictet, De la Rive, Colladon... Note that the objects presented are witnesses of a scientific breakthrough, of the history of Geneva and also of the construction of scientific knowledge. They are also exposed in different permanent rooms. On the first floor, for example, you will find rooms for temporary exhibitions. And on the first floor, there is the large lounge and the reception area for different activities such as conferences, scientific cafés, scientific news showcase and many others.
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Members' reviews on MUSÉE D’HISTOIRE ET DES SCIENCES
Very informative and interactive museum, a lot of interesting stories about items stored inside (most of which are in English too)
Suitable for kids to discover how electricity and how other physical laws work. Very interesting for matures as well. We were really impressed by the Astronomy part and interactive things you can touch. Every room had its own topic and a lot of things to try with your own hands. How to use some of them was really hard to guess????
But I will have this in my list of best museums. You won’t be able to bring a bad with you, but there is a way to store it in small lockers where you put a coin and when you pick up an item, it gives your coin back to you. Same for coats, there are some hangers near the entrance. The museum is working from 10:00 to 17:00 except Mondays. Enjoy your trip and believe me, you will love it!