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Patrice Nin
2 000 ans d’histoire de l’art

Ride on the back of the Minotaur

Climb onto the back of the Minotaur, 14 metres up, for a trip around the legendary Runway of Giants; how does that sound?

Head for the Hall of La Machine: this is where Astérion the Minotaur has chosen to set up home, in the heart of a spectacular world that was just recently created by François Delaroziere and her team of machinists.

Asterion the Minotaure

He awaits you on the runway, unmoving and majestic. On his back, a two-story Greek temple is waiting to welcome you for a journey around the Montaudran runway. This runway is truly historic, because it was from here, in another age, that the pilots of Latécoère and Aéropostale airlines such as Jean Mermoz, Henri Guillaumet or Antoine de Saint-Exupéry first took flight.

This little trip is the perfect occasion for rising above it all and observing in great detail just how the machine moves: how the beast comes alive, the finesse of the sculpted wood, the clicking of the mechanical parts, the smoke that spews from its nostrils, the spreading wings... The machinists are at the controls and can answer any questions ensuring that young and old alike are filled with a sense of wonder.

La compagnie de la Machine - l'Araignée
Chloé Sabatier

The machines in the Hall

She can often be seen wandering around the runway, not far from Astérion. During your visit to the Hall of La Machine you can also discover the spider that played the role of Ariane in the Guardian of the Temple show. The creature has moving eyes, spits out water and can reach a height of up to twenty metres! Whilst this kind of creepy crawly might normally give you the shivers, here you will be bowled over by the grace with which its body moves, its eight legs stretching slowly before coming to life.

Inside the Hall you can step into the world of La Machine, a company established and headed up by François Delaroziere. She has created a stable of machines that reveal to the general public just how these contraptions are designed and built, telling the story of how this Universe of wood and metal, gigantic and fantastical, took shape and came to life before heading out onto the streets of the world and putting on a show...

Usefulinformation

Prices: Minotaur trip € 9,50 (normal fare) - € 17 Combined Minotaur trip ticket + Halle entrance (normal fare)
Duration of the tour: 45 min
Closed on Mondays.

La Halle de la Machine

Le Minotaure dans le spectacle le Gardien du Temple
Chloé Sabatier
Le Minotaure à la Halle des Machines
Jacques Valenza
La Halle de la Machine - les véritables machinistes
Monica Billault

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Book your entryat la Halle des Machines