Discover the new exhibition at the Musée des Sciences de la Terre starting July 20!
The Museum of Earth Sciences takes you on a three-storey journey through the world of minerals and mining in the Valais, and features a range of temporary exhibitions on earth science themes.
Young and old alike will find something here to satisfy your curiosity and, who knows, maybe you’ll catch the gold-digger bug!
The Martigny exhibition is divided into three sections:
- crystal craftsmanship, an intangible asset of cantonal importance
- 58 years of the Bas-Valais Minerals and Fossils Society (SBVMF)
- Three outstanding crystal-makers:
Victor Gross, Michel Avanthey and Pierre-Maurice Michellod
In May 2024, the Valais Department of Culture recognized the know-how of crystal makers as an intangible asset, based on the long tradition of crystal harvesting, which goes back to the dawn of time, with Neolithic arrowheads. You’ll learn how to discover crystals in nature.
The three crystal-makers, meanwhile, are out of the ordinary.
Victor Gross (1897-1974), co-founder of the SBVMF, was the operator, in the 1940s, of the Binntal dolomite, then of the Salvan brookite.
Michel Avanthey (1947-2022) explored the speleological riches of Poteu near Saillon.
Pierre-Maurice Michellod (1961-2021), who travelled with his family through the virgin forests of Papua, discovered a new mineral, verberite.
Come and admire the beauties of nature, made available to you by the passion of crystal-makers!
More information about opening times and prices on the Musée des Sciences de la Terre website,