Environmental Museum (MAcA), Turin

Environmental Museum (MAcA) in Turin (Museo A Come Ambiente) is the first in Europe museum entirely devoted to environmental protection and environmental education. This is a museum for boys and girls, as well as their parents who want to hear, but also to see, feel and try. Most of the exposition is interactive, that is pleasant for visitors, and especially exiting for the small ones.

History of the museum

In 1906, the world-famous French company Michelin opened the first overseas branch in Turin. By the beginning of the Second World War, the plant on the banks of the Dora Riparia River had grown so much that it occupied the entire area between the streets of Corso Umbria and Via Livorno. After the war was over, it was decided to build a new entrance from the west. So in 1947 a two-story building was erected. In 1948, one more floor was completed. The room was used as a checkpoint and bicycle park. After the expansion, the dining room and headquarters of the fire center were located here. Naturally, the building was guarded. In 1994, the plant stopped working, and it was decided to remake the premises. The reconstruction was carried out by the architect Agostino Magnaghi. In 2004, after the completion of the works, the first museum in Europe, dealing with environmental problems, was solemnly opened here. The initiator of its creation and the first director was the architect Carlo Degiacomi.

Exposition of the Environmental Museum

The Environmental Museum offers its visitors interactive exhibitions, which means that you need to be prepared for something unusual and cognitive. There are excursions for schools and universities, seminars, educational projects. All this is aimed at fostering environmental culture in the younger generation. And everything is organized in a fun, easy and pleasant way. For the youngest visitors, there are animators in the museum. The exposition of the museum is divided into several parts.

• Water.  The water cycle in nature is considered here, as well as the historical aspects of its use by man. Attention is paid to water supply and water pollution control.
• Waste. In this section, you can learn a lot about sorting and recycling of garbage, and the use of recyclable materials in human activities.
• Energy. This topic is devoted to both traditional and relatively new, renewable energy sources.
• Products. Here you can learn more about the food industry, and about food provision to the ever-growing population of the Earth.
• Transport. The problems of transport are considered in order to reduce the time spent on trips and expectations and to eliminate environmental pollution.

Inside the museum, you feel in the near future. It is beautiful and futuristic. The entire space of the museum is divided into 3 parts. In the former building of the plant on three floors there are exhibitions devoted to water, energy and waste. In the "Green Pavilion" there are exhibitions devoted to the problems that await us in the future: with food, transportation and information environment. The third part is located in the open air, and in the warm season, conferences and seminars are held here. From the museum you can get to the huge post-industrial Dora Park.

How to get there

The Environmental Museum is located north from the center of Turin, in the Dora Park. The entrance is at Corso Umbria, 90. A few steps across the river, there is one of the first bridges connecting the industrial areas of Turin, the Charles Emmanuel III Bridge. On the opposite shore there is the public transport stop Pier della Francesca. It can be reached by tram № 3, 9, and bus № 22, 259TK.

Opening hours: weekdays from 9:00 to 17:00 (for school groups). On Saturday and Sunday from 14:00 to 19:00 the museum is open to everybody. The ticket office stops working an hour before closing. The museum is closed on public holidays, Easter and Christmas. Group visits (more than 13 people) only by prior arrangement. Phone number (+39) 011 0702535.

Admission: the price of the full ticket is 10 euros, with a discount (children 6-14) – 5 euros. For children under 6 –admission is free. For groups, the ticket price (visit and laboratory) is 9 euros per person. Data of May 2018.