Musée de sciences biologiques Dr Mérieux

About the museum

The museum is located in Marcy-l’Étoile, within the Metropole of Lyon, the village where Marcel Mérieux set up his first laboratories in 1917. Over time these produced sera, vaccines and later diagnostic tests distributed worldwide. The museum has been open since 2007 and is run by an association.

The permanent route shows how, from antiquity to the present day, scientists gradually came to understand the mechanisms of infectious diseases: Hippocrates, the beginnings of microbiology with Louis Pasteur and Robert Koch, the invention of the microscope and then the electron microscope, zoonoses and the history of vaccination, up to recent innovations. The horse serves as a common thread, as for a long time it supplied sera against infectious diseases.

The museum welcomes individual visitors, families, school groups and adult groups, offers workshops for children, and complements the visit with urban walks in Lyon on the theme of health.

Highlights

• Route from antiquity to the present day on infectious diseases
• Light and electron microscopes to handle
• History of Marcel Mérieux and the Institut Mérieux in Marcy-l’Étoile
• The horse, the museum’s common thread and source of sera
• History of vaccination

Permanent exhibition

• Parcours permanent : la grande épopée de la biologie – A journey across centuries and continents tracing the microbes and the scientists who discovered them, and then the strategies developed to protect against infectious diseases.

Founded

2007

Operated by

Association du musée (loi de 1901)

Admission & discounts

The self-guided visit ticket gives access to the permanent route and the temporary exhibition. The Lyon City Card is accepted. Payment in cash, by bank card or by cheque.

Accessibility

• Wheelchair accessible
• Elevator: no information
• Accessible restroom: no information
• Accessible parking
• Service dogs welcome: no information
• Tactile models & exhibits: no information
• Sign language tours: no information
• Easy-to-read materials: no information
• Audio description: no information

The museum is accessible to visitors with reduced mobility; one parking space is reserved for them.

Kids & families

Great for kids & families

• Family tours & workshops
• Hands-on stations
• Kids’ birthday parties

Handling light and electron microscopes, seeding a Petri dish, workshops for ages 6 to 10 (1 hour) and “Lab’anniversaire” birthday parties in the museum’s laboratory for ages 6 to 11.

Getting there & parking

Deliveries are made to 309 Avenue Jean Colomb.

Amenities & dining

• Café: not available
• Restaurant: not available

No café and no picnic room. The Domaine de Lacroix-Laval, a 5-minute walk away, has picnic areas and a covered barn for bad weather.

Events & venue rental

• Spaces for rent
• Corporate events

Up to 40 guests.

Meetings and events for associations or work teams, up to 40 people: permanent route with an optional guided tour, meeting room with video projector, flexible workshop room and reception area for a cocktail. Requests at least three weeks in advance.

Plan your visit