Musée des Transmissions – espace Ferrié
Museum in Cesson-Sévigné telling the history of civil and military telecommunications, from the Chappe telegraph to electronic warfare; free admission.
No sound? Check your device’s silent switch.
Have only individual sections read aloud
About the museum
The Musée des Transmissions is attached to the Army’s signals school in Cesson-Sévigné, near Rennes, and opened to the public on January 12, 2005. It is aimed at civilians as well as military personnel, and welcomes the school’s trainees as well as signals units and young recruits in training.
It inherits several places of memory: the museum of the 8th Signals Regiment from Mont-Valérien, the honor room of the Signals application school in Montargis, and the collections of the central directorate for telecommunications and IT. It brings together equipment, documentation and expertise on the history of information and communication technologies, both civil and military.
The permanent route, spread over several floors, runs from antiquity to the present day: optical signals, telegraph, radio, homing pigeons and the Enigma machine on the fourth floor, then cryptology, electronic warfare and satellite communications on the third floor. The second floor hosts temporary exhibitions and the memorial of the Signals branch. Many models bring the presentation to life, making the subject accessible to children and to visitors with no military background. The museum also has an annex at Mont-Valérien, in Suresnes.
Highlights
- History of communications from antiquity to the present day
- Enigma cipher machine and cryptology
- Homing pigeons, optical signals and the Chappe telegraph
- Electronic warfare and satellite communications
- Minitel and the shift from analog to digital
- Free admission
- Founded
- 2005
- Operated by
- Armée de Terre (ministère des Armées)
Admission & discounts
Admission is free.
Individual visits are free. Group visits are also free, by reservation.
Accessibility
The museum hasn’t published any information on this.
Kids & families
Great for kids & families
- Family tours & workshops
- Activity booklet, scavenger hunt or kids’ audio guide
The museum presents its collections in an educational way, with many models, for children as well as for visitors with no military knowledge. Teaching booklets by level, workshops for school groups and holiday activities, such as a puzzle game at Halloween, are offered.
Getting there & parking
By public transit
Atalante · 10-min walk
Metro: line B, Atalante stop, then about 10 minutes on foot. Bus: line C4, Becquerel or Atalante stop, then about 10 minutes on foot.
By car
Free parking
Free parking for visitors.
Amenities & dining
The museum hasn’t published any information on this.
Events & venue rental
The museum hasn’t published any information on this.
Plan your visit
| Guided tours | yes |
|---|---|
| School programs | yes |
| Good to know | Guided group visits are possible by reservation, subject to guide availability (by phone or e-mail). For school classes from nursery to high school, guided visits of about 45 minutes to 1 hour 30 minutes and workshops on request, for example decoding a secret message; downloadable teaching booklets are available for each level. |
