Espace muséal Charles Fabry

About the museum

The Espace muséal Charles Fabry preserves and presents the scientific instruments, calculating machines and furniture of the former Faculty of Sciences in Marseille. It is housed on the Saint-Charles campus of Aix-Marseille Université. Its name honors the physicist Charles Fabry, who was appointed to the Faculty of Sciences in Marseille in 1894. The museum was founded by emeritus professor Pierre Gravier.

The collections cover roughly the period from 1880 to 1970 and include 642 inventoried instruments, which reflect, among other things, research carried out in Marseille in optics and microcalorimetry. The oldest pieces come from Macé de Lépinay, Charles Fabry's thesis supervisor. Objects linked to Fabry, Pérot, Buisson, Tian and Calvet are also on display.

The circuit includes the Physics Cabinet (instruments from 1860 to 1900), the Fabry Room (optics, electricity and physical chemistry from 1900 to 1930), the Calculators Room (the history of calculation at the university since 1950) and the Passé-Présent Room, where workshops let visitors handle old and modern devices.

Highlights

• Physics cabinet with instruments from 1860 to 1900
• Fabry Room on optics, electricity and physical chemistry
• Calculators Room, from mechanical machines to the first computers
• 642 inventoried instruments
• Workshop “sciences d'hier et d'aujourd'hui” (science of yesterday and today)

Permanent exhibitions

• Cabinet de physique – The faculty's oldest instruments, dating from about 1860 to 1900.
• Salle Fabry – Optics, electricity and physical chemistry instruments from 1900 to 1930.
• Salle des calculateurs – History of calculation at the university since 1950, from mechanical calculators to the first computers.

Operated by

Aix-Marseille Université

Admission & discounts

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Accessibility

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Kids & families

• Family tours & workshops
• Hands-on stations

Workshop “sciences d'hier et d'aujourd'hui” in the Passé-Présent Room, with old and modern devices to handle.

Getting there & parking

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Amenities & dining

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Events & venue rental

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