The Cassini Map of France, an 18th-century cartographic masterpiece, was the first geometrically surveyed map covering an entire country. Comprising 181 sheets, the monumental map measures 11 × 12 metres when assembled.
The exhibition traces its history through archives from the IGN and the French National Archives, including calculations, drawings, copper plates and original prints. Created over more than 70 years by four generations of the Cassini family and numerous scientists, it relied on triangulation and innovative surveying techniques.
A true encyclopedia of the French territory, the map transformed modern cartography and remains an essential resource for history, environmental studies and archaeology.
La carte de France de Cassini. Une encyclopédie du territoire