21Jan. 2025
Montbéliard Exhibition Report
The exhibition “The Joliot-Curie Family: Between Science and Society” was held from October 12 to November 16, 2024, at the Media Library of the city of Montbéliard. The opening ceremony took place on Saturday, October 12, at 6:30 p.m., in the presence of Marie-Noëlle Biguinet, Mayor of Montbéliard, Vice-President of the Pays de Montbéliard Agglomeration (P.M.A.), and Regional Councilor, along with Philippe Tissot, Deputy Mayor for Culture and Heritage, and Matthieu Bloch, Member of Parliament for the third constituency of Doubs.
In support of announcements made by the city of Montbéliard, the local press published two articles: one titled “Pierre Curie’s Grandfather Was a Doctor from Montbéliard”, and the other, more in-depth, “In 1916, Marie Curie Stopped at the Château de Morvillars” (Est Républicain, October 6, 2024).
On the evening of the opening, the Student Night organized by the Montbéliard campus of the University of Franche-Comté was also taking place. During the event, students were invited to explore various science-related sites throughout the city. The exhibition was one of the stops where students could participate in quizzes.
This exhibition, organized by Yves Jacquot—a native of the region and a member of the Curie-Joliot-Curie Association—featured the twelve panels of the traveling exhibition created by the Association Curie – Joliot-Curie (ACJC) in collaboration with the Curie Museum. It also included eleven display cases containing chemistry glassware similar to those used in Pierre and Marie Curie’s laboratory, along with historical documents, some dating back to the early 20th century.
The display cases were arranged along a path that traced the extraordinary history of this remarkable family. Throughout the exhibition period, a dedicated space allowed visitors to revisit the lecture given in Montbéliard on September 22, 2020, by Hélène Langevin and Pierre Joliot (Y. Jacquot, “Between Science and Regional History: A Conversation with Hélène Langevin and Pierre Joliot,” Bulletin et Mémoires de la Société d’Émulation de Montbéliard, 2021, No. 143).
Around 700 visitors had the opportunity to rediscover the close ties between the Curie family and the city of Montbéliard, as well as with the House of Württemberg, between 1570 and 1820. The exhibition also highlighted the passage of Irène Joliot and her children, Pierre and Hélène, through the region in May 1944 as they made their way to Switzerland (Y. Jacquot, “May 1944: Paul Langevin in the Montbéliard Region,” Bulletin et Mémoires de la Société d’Émulation de Montbéliard, 2019, No. 141; Y. Jacquot, “On the Montbéliard Origins of Pierre Curie, Nobel Prize Winner in Physics, 1903,” Bulletin et Mémoires, 2022, No. 144).
Throughout the exhibition, brochures about the Curie Museum and the Curie-Joliot-Curie Association were made available to the public.
On Saturday, October 12, at 12:00 p.m., a lecture on the Curie-Joliot-Curie family and the major milestones that led to the discovery of radioactivity was held at the media library. The event gathered around fifty attendees and was followed by a convivial moment shared over an aperitif.
During the exhibition period, local middle and high schools bearing the names Curie, Joliot-Curie, or Langevin were invited to give lectures at the media library. Additionally, an activity based on the book “Marie Curie’s Lessons” (edp Sciences) was organized by the media library and brought together about fifteen children accompanied by their parents or grandparents. This event was particularly well received.
The exhibition closed on November 14 at 6:00 p.m. with a lecture by Yves Langevin—great-grandson of Pierre and Marie Curie and of Paul Langevin, and grandson of Irène and Frédéric Joliot. The event was held at the Montbéliard branch of the University of Franche-Comté and focused on the theme “Planetary Exploration: European and French Contributions.” The lecture attracted around 150 attendees.
Yves Jacquot