Cité des Sciences et de lIndustrie

Located on a large urban renewal site devoted to culture and leisure, Cité des Sciences et de l’Industrie was completed in 1986 with a mandate to educate visitors about science and technology. Designed by the architect Adrien Fainsilber and based on five themes, water and earth, the universe, industry, communication, and man and health, the Cité has welcomed approximately 40 million visitors since it first opened its doors to the public on 13 March 1986, coinciding with the arrival of Halley’s Comet. Located in the Parc de la Villette, which was formerly a giant abattoir, covering an area of 55 hectares (136 acres), this highly-innovative complex is one of the biggest scientific and cultural centres in the world and is made up of several individual sites. Explora offers visitors activities such as piloting an aeroplane or travelling through the human body; the Géode is a large geodesic dome containing a 1000 sq metre (10,764 sq ft) screen and Cinaxe is a simulator fitted with equipment used to train airline pilots. For children, the Cité des Enfants teaches them how to make a TV show, whilst the Exposition Électricité offers them a chance to learn how electricity is supplied. There is also a 400-tonne (394 ton) submarine in the Submarine Argonaute area, which was the pride of the French Navy during the 1950s and was installed at the Cité in 1989. New exhibitions include L’homme et les Gènes show, which opened in May 2002 and is an introduction to the world of genes, Les Coulisses du Train, which runs until 2 September 2002 and takes visitors behind the scenes of the running of the train, and the spectacular night performance, Poussieres d’Étoiles, which opened in January 2002 and tells the story of the birth of the Universe through giant laser shows and musical creations.