The Palais de la Découverte is threatened: how to save this mythical temple of popular science

This temple, it was owed to the painter André Léveillé and at the Nobel Prize in physics Jean Perrin, creator of the CNRS and having used the work ofEinsteinEinstein On the Brownian movement to demonstrate the existence of atoms. The two men had collaborated on a preliminary project of the scientific museum which had emerged within the 1937 Universal Exhibition.

It was not intended to last, but given the success encountered – 2 million visitors at the end of 1937 – the government from the Popular Front at the time was decided to perpetuate it by decree. He will amaze generations of young and old, some of whom will find the source of their interest in science to the point of joining the scientific adventure, the great adventure of our time in the words of Richard Feynman, another Nobel Prize in Physics.

It is in tradition in France to popularize sciences for the general public, not only for their intrinsic interests, but also because scientific culture helps to train enlightened citizens for social choices. The founders of the encyclopedia were not mistaken and even less François Arago at the Paris Observatory and Auguste Comte, who both gave the courts of popular astronomy in their own words.

Clouds on the future of French science and industry?

Today, the discovery palace is threatened. He had closed for work for a few years and he had to reopen this year in a renewed form. But, at the last moment, when it was to be inaugurated in June with several events before a complete reopening at the end of 2026, “This pre -opening was canceled, against a backdrop of tension with the Ministry of Culture, but also with the director of the Grand Palais who would like to see the Palais de la Découvert“Explains in an article of The Conversation Bastien Fayet (doctoral student in geography).

The employees of Universcience, the structure which brings together the Palais de la Découverte and the City of Sciences and Industry (whose ambition is to make known and love the sciences of today as well as to promote scientific and technical culture), who had very strongly involved in the renovationrenovation From the Palais de la Découverte, are so worried about the future of the palace that they decided some time ago to launch an online petition to defend it.

The site where the petition is presented and where it can be signed explains that it has the support of the following institutions: Academy of Sciences, Collège de France, École Normale Supérieure, Sorbonne University, University Paris-Saclay, Network of Vice-President (E) S Science & Society, Societies of Mathematics and Physics of France, Association of Teachers of Biology and geologygeologyAssociation of Mathematics Professors of Public Education, Union of professors of physics and chemistry … and fifty international institutions.

But that’s not all, many other renowned signatories are indicated. We will only mention those who have been in relation to a long time with Futura, namely:

The climatologistclimatologist Jean Jouzel (atomic energy police station), the mathematicianmathematician Cédric Villani, 2010 Fields medal, the astrophysicist Françoise Combes (Collège de France), the climatologist Valérie Masson-Delmotte (atomic energy police station), theastrophysicistastrophysicist Roland Lehoucq (atomic energy police station), the physicistphysicist and popularizer Julien Bobroff (Paris Sud University), the physicist and philosopher of Sciences Etienne Klein (atomic energy police station), the astrophysicist and poet Jean-Pierre Luminet (laboratory ofastrophysicsastrophysics from Marseille).