The Curie Museum is a multipurpose unit shared by the French National Center for Scientific Research and the Curie Institute (UMS 6425 Musée et Archives de l’Institut du Radium). The unit contributes to research in the areas of museum studies, humanities and social sciences. Its mission consists of three goals: conserving French heritage, promoting the collections and sharing knowledge. The Curie Museum is a member of the International Council of Museums (ICOM), holds the Maisons des Illustres (Homes of Distinguished Historical Figures) quality certification and partners with many scientific and cultural entities in France and around the world, including associations and scholarly societies, museums, technology centers and research and teaching institutions.
Renovated in 2012, the Curie Museum’s permanent exhibition space is located on the ground floor of the laboratory that Marie Curie managed for almost 20 years, from 1918 until her death in 1934. Two rooms – Marie Curie’s office and chemistry laboratory – have been conserved in their original state, allowing visitors to travel back in time to learn about the history of radioactivity and its first applications. Research is still being conducted today at the Curie Institute’s laboratories not far from the museum.
Also near the museum, other points of interest related to the Curie family and radioactivity may be visited. These include the National Natural History Museum, where Henri Becquerel discovered uranium rays, the site of the “hangar” where Pierre and Marie Curie discovered polonium and radium in 1898 (ESPCI), their second laboratory at 12, rue Cuvier (IPGP), the Pantheon, where the Curies’ remains were transferred in 1995, and the workshop of Charles Beaudouin, who manufactured some of the instruments that were used in the Curie lab.