The Great Gallery at the Air and Space Museum renovated

In 2019, the Musée de l'Air et de l' Espace celebrates the centenary of its creation. The institution is ending its year in style with the completion of work in the Grande Galerie, which has been under renovation for five years. This Saturday, December 14, 2019, we're inviting you to discover the new tour routes and events specially planned to celebrate this reopening: guided tours, lectures, treasure hunts, Kapla workshops and other surprises for the whole family. During the weekend of December 14 and 15, the entire museum is free.

The 4,000 m² of exhibition space has been stripped of the walkways that used to cross the hall. The architects ofAtelier Gorka Piqueras architectes et associés have revived the art deco style that already adorns other parts of the museum.

The Musée de l'Air et de l'Espace didn't just renovate its buildings. To furnish the new spaces, 65 restorers refurbished over 210 objects, including 83 art objects and toys, 34 paintings and 21 flight suits and accessories.

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The Grande Galerie contains 407 objects, 199 of them new, pieces that have never been exhibited or have not been exhibited for at least 10 years. Come and admire the gondola from the La France dirigible balloon, theAntoinette type VIIaeroplane or the Grand Prix d'Aviation cup dating from 1910.

These objects have been installed in the two new visitor trails in the Grande Galerie. In the north wing, the Pioneers of the Air exhibition traces the history of air travel, from the first balloons to motorized aircraft. This part of the gallery is very bright, showing all the joy and hope that accompanied the conquest of the air, in stark contrast to the second section, located in the south wing. The Great War exhibition recounts the dark days of the First World War and the beginnings ofmilitaryaviation.

During the five years of work, the architects were also busy restoring the historic control tower at Le Bourget terminal. With the Direction Générale de l'Aviation Civile having vacated the tower in 2018, the museum can now show it off to the public. It's the only control tower in the world to be permanently open to the public. From 2022, the tower will host a permanentexhibition on civil and military air navigation techniques and instruments.

The renovation project cost 26.5 million euros, 21.5 million of which was funded by the French Ministry of Defense. With the new exhibitions in the Grande Galerie, the Musée de l'Air et de l'Espace expands its permanent collections. The latter, previously free of charge, will be subject to a charge from December 17, 2019. The museum is introducing a single rate of 16 euros, which includes the permanent collections, aircraft tours and the Planète pilote space. From December 14, 2019, discover all the new features atLe Bourget terminal.