PATRIMONY
Report on the 2026 European Heritage Days: the Institut Pasteur's photographic heritage and scientific imaging on show
Over the weekend of September 19 and 20, 2026, from 2 to 6pm, the Institut Pasteur opened its campus to the public for the European Heritage Days, for the third year running. Inspired by the success of the previous edition, the Institut Pasteur proposed a packed and varied program centered on scientific imaging to mark the bicentennial of the invention of photography.
A strong Institut Pasteur team to welcome the crowds of visitors
A total of 52 Institut Pasteur staff volunteered to help at the event. The two half-days attracted 1,317 visitors, 13% more than last year.
Most of the visitors were families and residents living in Greater Paris: 43% were from Paris, with 15% from the 15th arrondissement.
95% were visiting the Institut Pasteur for the first time.
A dialog between science and heritage on campus
For this 2026 edition, the Institut Pasteur highlighted the links between heritage and science, reflecting the theme for this year set by the Ministry of Culture: "Photographic heritage." Visitors were free to explore at their own pace, guided by a commentary, as they found out more about the Institut Pasteur's history and missions.
The exhibition "Observing invisible life, from the 19th century to the present day" drew on the Pasteur Museum and CeRIS collections to show how photography has become an essential tool for understanding the living world. A lecture organized by Claire Pujol, a scientist in the Mitochondrial Biology Unit, and Laurence Isnard, Head of the Museum, was particularly well attended. The two presented some of the milestones in the history of photomicrography, from wet collodion glass plates dating from 1867 to the use of artificial intelligence in scientific imaging.
The tours of the Ultrastructural BioImaging and Photonic BioImaging facilities were both at full capacity, with visitors enjoying the chance to talk to scientists about the diversity of scientific professions and find out about electron microscopy.
The Inframondes art installation by artists Cyrielle Gulacsy and Lucien Murat offered a rare insight into invisible soil life.
Volunteers from the Fondation du Patrimoine also spoke about the project to restore Louis and Marie Pasteur's apartment and the online fundraising campaign, alongside a stand with VR headsets that gave people a chance to take a virtual reality tour of the apartment.
Lady Pipette put on a spectacular performance with a one-hour show combining science, microbiology, fashion and humor.
See the video of the event below (Click on the image to play the video)
Photo: Three-body microscope, engraving, 1862
A three-body microscope allowing three people to observe the same object. “Use of the three-body microscope for demonstrations and observations of fleeting objects.” Nachet microscope. Engraving signed by E. Salle. Photo taken from the title page of the “Descriptive Catalog of Micrographic Instruments,” ed. L. Martinet, Paris, 1856, the second catalog in the collection of catalogs: “Microscopes Built by A. Nachet, 1954–1910,” ed. Alain Brieux, Paris, 1979. Scientific object