La Maison de la Magie Robert-Houdin
Encyclopedia
La Maison de la Magie Robert-Houdin (French
for "The House of Magician Robert-Houdin") is a museum
which fronts on the Royal Château de Blois
. It is located in the Loir-et-Cher
département in the Loire Valley
, in France
, in the center of the city of Blois
. As a museum of France and bearing the official label of "Musée de France", it is the only public museum in Europe which incorporates in one place collections of magic and a site for permanent performing arts. The creation of such a site is directly linked to the personality of Jean-Eugène Robert-Houdin, a famous French illusionist born in Blois in 1805.
and maker of automaton
s.
In 1981, descendants of Jean Eugène Robert-Houdin left to the city of Blois the building and all its accessories with a gift requiring they be exposed to the public. 170 objects that were constructed or collected by Robert-Houdin are in the museum.
The museum hosts a number of events, some of which recur. The include: exhibition of portraits of the greatest magicians; magical encounters (on weekends in July and August); lectures on Jean Eugène Robert-Houdin; evening shows; proceedings of 'the Gala magic clubs of Blois'; and awards to the best magical practitioners.
Guided tours are conducted by illusionists.
, which contains artifacts and displays on the history of magic, pictures and music; the Greek temple
honoring jugglers of the Middle Ages, the physicist Pinetti
(eighteenth century magician Joseph Pinetti Willedall de Merci), and genius
inventor Buatier De Kolta
; a life-sized kaleidoscope
and the 'chessboard of the optical illusions'; an exposition of "The firm of Robert-Houdin fantastic" (Level 1), displaying his watchmaking workshop, scientific research (in optics
and electricity
) magical craft and 'the mysterious clock'. On Level 3, the "hallucinoscope
" ("brainchild" of Gerard Majax
) immerses the participant into the world of Jules Verne
and 20,000 Leagues under the Sea.
Another area is the "Georges Méliès
space, which honors him as a magician, but also the father of film special effects.
Magic shows are conducted daily, and the building is open daily during the tourist season.
French language
French is a Romance language spoken as a first language in France, the Romandy region in Switzerland, Wallonia and Brussels in Belgium, Monaco, the regions of Quebec and Acadia in Canada, and by various communities elsewhere. Second-language speakers of French are distributed throughout many parts...
for "The House of Magician Robert-Houdin") is a museum
Museum
A museum is an institution that cares for a collection of artifacts and other objects of scientific, artistic, cultural, or historical importance and makes them available for public viewing through exhibits that may be permanent or temporary. Most large museums are located in major cities...
which fronts on the Royal Château de Blois
Château de Blois
The Royal Château de Blois is located in the Loir-et-Cher département in the Loire Valley, in France, in the center of the city of Blois. The residence of several French kings, it is also the place where Joan of Arc went in 1429 to be blessed by the Archbishop of Reims before departing with her...
. It is located in the Loir-et-Cher
Loir-et-Cher
Loir-et-Cher is a département in north-central France named after the rivers Loir and Cher.-History:Loir-et-Cher is one of the original 83 departments created during the French Revolution on 4 March 1790. It was created from parts of the former provinces of Orléanais and...
département in the Loire Valley
Loire Valley
The Loire Valley , spanning , is located in the middle stretch of the Loire River in central France. Its area comprises approximately . It is referred to as the Cradle of the French Language, and the Garden of France due to the abundance of vineyards, fruit orchards, and artichoke, asparagus, and...
, in France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
, in the center of the city of Blois
Blois
Blois is the capital of Loir-et-Cher department in central France, situated on the banks of the lower river Loire between Orléans and Tours.-History:...
. As a museum of France and bearing the official label of "Musée de France", it is the only public museum in Europe which incorporates in one place collections of magic and a site for permanent performing arts. The creation of such a site is directly linked to the personality of Jean-Eugène Robert-Houdin, a famous French illusionist born in Blois in 1805.
History
Inaugurated in 1998, the museum highlights the life and work of Robert-Houdin—multi-talented illusionist, prestidigitator, inventor, clockmakerClockmaker
A clockmaker is an artisan who makes and repairs clocks. Since almost all clocks are now factory-made, most modern clockmakers only repair clocks. Modern clockmakers may be employed by jewellers, antique shops, and places devoted strictly to repairing clocks and watches...
and maker of automaton
Automaton
An automaton is a self-operating machine. The word is sometimes used to describe a robot, more specifically an autonomous robot. An alternative spelling, now obsolete, is automation.-Etymology:...
s.
In 1981, descendants of Jean Eugène Robert-Houdin left to the city of Blois the building and all its accessories with a gift requiring they be exposed to the public. 170 objects that were constructed or collected by Robert-Houdin are in the museum.
The museum hosts a number of events, some of which recur. The include: exhibition of portraits of the greatest magicians; magical encounters (on weekends in July and August); lectures on Jean Eugène Robert-Houdin; evening shows; proceedings of 'the Gala magic clubs of Blois'; and awards to the best magical practitioners.
Guided tours are conducted by illusionists.
Attractions
Highlights include: The six-headed dragon automaton, which was constructed by artists Michel and Jean-Pierre Hartmann and which operates every hour; the rotundaRotunda (architecture)
A rotunda is any building with a circular ground plan, sometimes covered by a dome. It can also refer to a round room within a building . The Pantheon in Rome is a famous rotunda. A Band Rotunda is a circular bandstand, usually with a dome...
, which contains artifacts and displays on the history of magic, pictures and music; the Greek temple
Greek temple
Greek temples were structures built to house deity statues within Greek sanctuaries in Greek paganism. The temples themselves did usually not directly serve a cult purpose, since the sacrifices and rituals dedicated to the respective deity took place outside them...
honoring jugglers of the Middle Ages, the physicist Pinetti
Joseph Pinetti
Giovanni Giuseppe Pinetti, was known in France as Chevalier Joseph Pinetti . He was born in Orbetello and died in Russia. He was known as The Professor of Natural Magic and was a complex flamboyant personage...
(eighteenth century magician Joseph Pinetti Willedall de Merci), and genius
Genius
Genius is something or someone embodying exceptional intellectual ability, creativity, or originality, typically to a degree that is associated with the achievement of unprecedented insight....
inventor Buatier De Kolta
Buatier De Kolta
Buatier de Kolta was a french magician who performed throughout the 1870s and 1880s in England and America. Buatier de Kolta was a contemporary of fellow French magician Jean Eugène Robert-Houdin...
; a life-sized kaleidoscope
Kaleidoscope
A kaleidoscope is a circle of mirrors containing loose, colored objects such as beads or pebbles and bits of glass. As the viewer looks into one end, light entering the other end creates a colorful pattern, due to the reflection off the mirrors...
and the 'chessboard of the optical illusions'; an exposition of "The firm of Robert-Houdin fantastic" (Level 1), displaying his watchmaking workshop, scientific research (in optics
Optics
Optics is the branch of physics which involves the behavior and properties of light, including its interactions with matter and the construction of instruments that use or detect it. Optics usually describes the behavior of visible, ultraviolet, and infrared light...
and electricity
Electricity
Electricity is a general term encompassing a variety of phenomena resulting from the presence and flow of electric charge. These include many easily recognizable phenomena, such as lightning, static electricity, and the flow of electrical current in an electrical wire...
) magical craft and 'the mysterious clock'. On Level 3, the "hallucinoscope
Hallucination
A hallucination, in the broadest sense of the word, is a perception in the absence of a stimulus. In a stricter sense, hallucinations are defined as perceptions in a conscious and awake state in the absence of external stimuli which have qualities of real perception, in that they are vivid,...
" ("brainchild" of Gerard Majax
Gérard Majax
Gérard Faier, known as Gérard Majax is one of the most famous French illusionist.He has appeared in many television programs, magic demonstrations, and movies....
) immerses the participant into the world of Jules Verne
Jules Verne
Jules Gabriel Verne was a French author who pioneered the science fiction genre. He is best known for his novels Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea , A Journey to the Center of the Earth , and Around the World in Eighty Days...
and 20,000 Leagues under the Sea.
Another area is the "Georges Méliès
Georges Méliès
Georges Méliès , full name Marie-Georges-Jean Méliès, was a French filmmaker famous for leading many technical and narrative developments in the earliest cinema. He was very innovative in the use of special effects...
space, which honors him as a magician, but also the father of film special effects.
Magic shows are conducted daily, and the building is open daily during the tourist season.