One of the three buildings of the Paris Institut Curie, established in 1909, is in danger of being demolished.
Regarding the claim that ‘Curie was not used’… Construction approved but temporarily suspended
Opponents of demolition say, “It should be designated as a heritage site and permanently protected.”
The building of the Paris laboratory of Marie Curie, the world’s first two-time Nobel Prize winner and scientist known as Madame Curie, narrowly escaped demolition.
The Guardian reported on the 6th (local time) that French Culture Minister Lima Abdul Malak postponed the demolition of Marie Curie’s laboratory building in the Latin district of Paris’ 5th arrondissement. Minister Malak explained, “We made this decision because we needed time to find the person in charge.”
The building is one of the three buildings of the Radium Institute (Institut Curie), established in 1909 by the Pasteur Institute and the University of Paris.
The Curie Institute is a historic site where Curie served as the institute’s director until his death in 1934. As the world’s best radiological materials laboratory, it contributed to the development of radiation therapy for cancer treatment, and during World War I, it was where a mobile X-ray device was developed to diagnose the wounded.
The building in question is ‘Pavillon des Sources.’ The remaining two houses are ‘Curie Pavillon’, which is currently used as the Curie Museum, and ‘Pasteur Pavillon’, where a biology laboratory was located.
Initially, the building owner claimed that the building was not in use. Therefore, Paris City Hall approved the plan to demolish and build a new building in March last year.
However, records were found on the institute’s website indicating that Curie conducted experiments in the building. In addition, there remains a sycamore tree planted by Curie himself in front of the building.
When this fact became known, construction was halted as petitions opposing the demolition poured in to President Emmanuel Macron and government officials.
Those opposing the demolition requested the government to permanently protect the laboratory, saying, “The entire facility of Madame Curie’s laboratory should be designated and protected as a heritage site.”
Marie Curie was the first scientist to discover polonium and radium from uranium. For this work, she and her husband, Pierre Curie, were awarded the 1903 Nobel Prize in Physics. Afterwards, Marie Curie succeeded in isolating the element radium, and in 1906, she received an additional Nobel Prize in chemistry, leaving behind many achievements and remaining a symbol of French women’s history.
Source: Donga
Mark Jones is a world traveler and journalist for News Rebeat. With a curious mind and a love of adventure, Mark brings a unique perspective to the latest global events and provides in-depth and thought-provoking coverage of the world at large.