Cité de la Mer
La Cité de la Mer is a museum of underwater exploration and deep-sea research is devoted to. The museum is housed in the former transatlantic harbor station of Cherbourg -Octeville, who was approached by the railway line between Paris and Cherbourg. It was inaugurated on 29 April 2002.
Transatlantic Hafenbahnhof
The former transatlantic harbor railway station with its Art Deco building was inaugurated on 30 July 1933 by President Albert Lebrun. He was given a short time the nickname of Our Lady of Queens later, with Queens stands for the same passenger steamer. He was blown up by the German units on June 23, 1944 shortly after the Allied landings in Normandy and opened again in 1952 under the presence of Antoine Pinay.
For over 70 years the former transatlantic harbor station has not been used and also partially destroyed before the rest of the building was added to the list of historic monuments during the years 1989 and 2000.
Museum
After the decommissioning of the first French nuclear submarine Le Redoutable the idea was born in Cherbourg, issue the submarine in a museum. The French submarines have been or are also built in Cherbourg.
Since its opening, La Cité de la Mer very successful and currently the second most visited place of the départements of Manche, according to the abbey of Mont -Saint -Michel.
The exhibitions of La Cité de la Mer
Titanic
The Titanic ran Cherbourg on her maiden voyage. The facilities enable visitors to empathize with the journey and to put themselves in the epoch into it.
Le Redoutable submarine
Le Redoutable is the first nuclear submarine, which was built in Cherbourg. It was inaugurated by President Charles de Gaulle on 29 March 1967, and launched from the dock. Since its decommissioning, it is now the largest nuclear submarine in the world, can visit.
Deep sea
17 tanks (one of which 10.7 m deep) with more than 1000 fish show how man inspired by the world of fish has to develop new research equipment and continue to dive into the depths.
Equipment and Devices
There is an exhibition of international underwater equipment (or their models ) that have been provided to the Museum are available, including Alvin, Me, Nautile, bathysphere. There are also presented the people who have these devices designed or tested.
The available by the National Maritime Museum bathyscaphe Archimede can also be visited. He reached a depth of 9545 m in the Kuril.
Furthermore, issued industrial submarines of the COMEX.
In 2004, Cherbourg was recognized as the only foreign place of the United States, which maintains the memory of the Civil War. In 1864, a naval battle between the CSS Alabama and the USS Kearsarge off Cherbourg was fought. The cannon of the CSS Alabama is on display in the reception room.
" We have entered the ocean floor "
Be April 2008 it is possible to virtually visit the ocean floor.
Library
In the reception room is the library that is accessible to all visitors. It provides the public comprehensive documentation of the underwater world and deep-sea disposal, and also about the former transatlantic harbor station of Cherbourg.
More than 3120 books, 18,000 journal articles and 230 DVDs are available in French and English. In the library also include documentaries and films with functional background to these issues.