About
le Vaisseau

A message from the Chief Executive

Travel, dream, play, create, touch, imagine, understand and act … all in the same place? That's right! The Vaisseau is the scientific culture venue of the Collectivité européenne d’Alsace, for children and parents alike! At the Vaisseau, we aim to give you insights to more clearly understand the key challenges, help to educate children and foster personal development. At the Vaisseau, instead of sweeping statements you'll find snippets of information that you'll be able to piece together like a jigsaw puzzle each time you come back. The Vaisseau is here for your children and for you. We are constantly adapting to be able to offer you a wide range of approaches, which we describe as science communication tools.

Frédéric Bierry, Chief Executive of the Collectivité européenne d’Alsace

Learn science while having fun at the Vaisseau


Your mission: DO touch the exhibits and play! At the Vaisseau, the whole family can learn about science and technology while having fun, through the interactive exhibitions on water, nature, light, maths or digital technology! Round off your experience by watching a 3D film or a live performance. All year round, a wide-ranging programme of activities is put on for families and school groups alike, designed especially with you in mind!

 

The Vaisseau is a uniquely engaging educational venue built and managed by the Collectivité européenne d’Alsace since 2005. For its 170,000 or so visitors welcomed every year, the Vaisseau is somewhere to learn about science in a refreshingly different way and to gain mainstream access to scientific and technological culture. Through the themes explored, the Vaisseau encourages visitors to play an active part in the debate for a clearer understanding of how the world is changing. But most of all, the Vaisseau is somewhere for you to enjoy learning more about the world around us through interaction, experimentation or collaboration.

 

Actively engaged in the wider community, the Vaisseau is a member of various professional networks advocating for the recognition and development of scientific, technological and industrial cultures, at national and international level alike:

 

  • Association des Musées et Centres pour le développement de la Culture Scientifique, Technique et Industrielle (AMCSTI)
  • European Network of Science Centres and Museums (Ecsite)
  • Hands On - International Association of Children in Museums
  • MINTaktiv
1998

The Hôtel du département hosts in its premises the exhibition of the Cité des sciences et de l'industrie de la Villette which is a great success with the public.

2000

The General Council of bas-Rhin officially starts the project to create the Vaisseau: a place that approaches science in a fun and interactive way.

2002

An architectural competition is launched: it appoints the architects Bernard Weifler and François Rohmer, associated with the scenographer Jérôme Habersetzer to build le Vaisseau.

2003

The construction project begins and the children of the Wangenburg colony choose the name "le Vaisseau".

22 février 2005

The Vaisseau opens its doors in Strasbourg.

2006

The Vaisseau is recognized as a reference and excellent facility of the Cité des sciences et de l'industrie de la Villette.

Have fun and enjoy learning about science in Strasbourg, by visiting a unique venue: le Vaisseau!

Explore our exhibitions

  • Technology

    The Factory

    Discover the mechanisms of artificial intelligence, interact with machines and develop algorithms!

    Explore
  • Motricité

    The Playhouses

    Discover and try out different ways of moving and acting in the Petit Quartier’s houses.

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  • Water

    The Oasis

    Experiment with the wide-ranging possibilities offered up by water, in a simple and fun way.

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  • Collaboration

    The Building Site

    Stack, balance, transport and use your imagination to build extraordinary houses.

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  • Discover all our exhibitions

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