Musée EDF Electropolis

About the museum

The museum grew out of the rescue of a giant machine: a Sulzer-BBC generating set dating from 1901, which supplied electricity to the DMC spinning mill in Mulhouse until the mid-20th century. This monster of cast iron, steel and copper, weighing 170 tonnes, was due to be scrapped. From 1978 a group of enthusiasts campaigned to save it; an association for the museum of electrical energy was founded in 1980, and construction work began in 1983.

The museum first opened to the public in 1987, with the restored machine. It was officially inaugurated on October 3, 1992. The route was renovated in 2003, then modernized in 2018 with a space devoted to innovation. The Energy Garden, with its giant machines, opened in 2021, and an “Art and Electricity” space in 2023. The museum is run by an association with the support of EDF, and it carries the “Musée de France” label.

The route traces the history of electricity from antiquity to the 21st century: the first experiments, the Industrial Revolution, the arrival of electric comfort in homes and today’s energy sources. More than a thousand objects are on display; the collection comprises some 12,000 objects. The large Sulzer-BBC machine runs every day during a multimedia show.

Highlights

• Giant Sulzer-BBC steam engine from 1901 (170 tonnes) and its multimedia show
• Theatre of electrostatics with a Wimshurst machine and a Faraday cage
• Energy Garden: some fifteen giant machines, including a rotor from the Fessenheim power plant
• “Un avenir électrique” space devoted to innovation and the energy transition
• “Art and Electricity” space with Raoul Dufy’s giant lithograph “La Fée Électricité”

Permanent exhibitions

• Le XXe siècle électrique : la révolution de l'industrie et du confort domestique – This space shows how electricity transformed industry and everyday life, with the multimedia show of the large Sulzer-BBC machine.
• Le Jardin des énergies – Interactive outdoor route on electricity production, with some fifteen giant machines.
• Art et électricité – About a dozen works show how artists represented electricity or used its effects in the 20th century.

Founded

1992

Operated by

Association gestionnaire du Musée Electropolis, avec le soutien d'EDF

Visitors per year

approx. 43,505

Admission & discounts

Prices are valid for the current year. Free admission with proof for holders of the MuseumsPass, Pass Alsace, Carte Culture, press card, ICOM card, Carte Pro Tourisme Alsace and the Ministry of Culture card. Combined tickets for groups of more than 20 people: €19 (adult) and €12 (child). Payment accepted with Chèques-vacances, ANCV Connect and several gift vouchers. Tickets at the entrance or online.

Accessibility

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

The museum holds the “Tourisme et Handicap” label (motor, hearing, intellectual and psychological disabilities). Wheelchairs available on request at the reception desk; the reception counter is accessible and equipped with a T-loop induction loop; films about the large machine have subtitles; signage is adapted for visually impaired visitors; a tactile guide strip runs from the tram stop.

Kids & families

Great for kids & families

• Family tours & workshops
• Hands-on stations
• Stroller-friendly
• Baby changing facilities
• Kids’ birthday parties

The museum holds the “Famille Plus” label. Family activities: theatre of electrostatics (from age 7, about 30 minutes), interactive games on the origin of electric current (from age 6), multimedia show of the large machine (12 minutes). Routes, workshops and themed tours during school holidays. Baby changing facilities and bottle warmer (ask at reception). Birthday parties for children aged 7 to 13: playful tour or escape game, €150 for 10 children and 2 adults.

Getting there & parking

By car on the A36 motorway, exit no. 17 Mulhouse-Dornach, then follow the Musée Electropolis or Cité du Train signs. By bike via the EuroVelo 6 cycle route. EuroAirport Basel-Mulhouse-Freiburg is 26 km away.

Amenities & dining

• Café: not available
• Restaurant: not available
• Museum shop
• Lockers

No restaurant, but drink and snack vending machines. Luggage lockers (€1 deposit). Tables and benches in the Energy Garden. The museum is partly air-conditioned.

Events & venue rental

• Spaces for rent
• Corporate events

Up to 100 guests.

Ampère room for meetings and seminars (€650 per day on weekdays); prestige evening with guided tour and cocktail, for up to 60 people; outdoor event in the Energy Garden, for up to 100 people. Catering not included.

Plan your visit