Musée Maurice Dufresne, Technology museum in Azay-le-Rideau, France.
The Musée Maurice Dufresne occupies former mill buildings and displays over 3,000 machines from the period between 1850 and 1950. The collection fills 25 rooms with equipment from agriculture, textile production, firearms, and transportation vehicles.
Maurice Dufresne began collecting machinery through his salvage business starting in 1958. The museum opened its doors in 1992 within a building that has roots extending back to the 11th century.
The machines on display represent the tools and equipment that shaped everyday work and production across rural France generations ago. Visitors can observe how people relied on these devices to carry out their daily trades and occupations.
Visitors can move through the exhibition areas at their own pace as the rooms connect internally. The collection spreads across multiple levels within the mill buildings, so comfortable footwear and flexibility for varied flooring conditions are advisable.
An original Blériot XI aircraft is displayed in the collection, of the same type as the one that crossed the English Channel in 1909. This particular plane was later used in World War I and demonstrates how early aircraft evolved from experimental machines into military equipment.
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