From 11 March to 31 August 2003, the Cité des Sciences et de l'Industrie presents the exhibition, "Treasures of the Titanic," offering a visit through the reconstructed décor of the most well known ocean liner in the world. Objects recovered from the ship’s wreckage are on display in their original setting.

The exhibition begins in the naval yards of Harland & Wolff, in Belfast, Ireland, where, in 1909, the construction began of the largest floating object created by humans, the Titanic.

The visitor, carrying a boarding pass of the famous White Star Line, goes aboard to experience the Titanic’s maiden voyage of April 1912.

In the reconstructed areas of this mythical vessel – the Grand Staircase and glass dome, various passageways, and a first and third class cabins – objects recovered from the bottom of the ocean, preserved and displayed for the visitor, give us a glimpse of life on board and recreate the atmosphere of the boat.

Personal effects, accounts by survivors, and original photographs tell the stories of individual passengers and crewmembers, revealing the joy of travel, and, for emigrants, the hope for a new life.

The route passes along the Promenade Deck, where the ambience reproduced is authentic: the sounds, temperature variations, and lighting, all recreating the night of 14 April 1912.

In the freezing environment of the shipwreck and rescue efforts, the visitor can leave a mark on a block of ice representing the fatal iceberg. Then, he or she can find the passenger name, printed on the boarding pass, among the 2,200 names listed in the memorial gallery.

In addition to animated presentations on navigation tools and technologies, the scientific side of the exhibition is dedicated to the discovery of the wreckage lying 3,780 meters below the surface, the explorations by submersibles (including the Nautile), and expeditions to recover and preserve the treasures of the Titanic, the last vestiges of the most legendary of sea vessels.