Paris - La Géode

Must-see attractions nearby: Eiffel Tower Montmartre Notre-Dame de Paris Musée d'Orsay Champs-Elysées Luxembourg Gardens Louvre

The Géode is actually a cinema. Inside, the audience recline comfortably in bucket seats, surrounded by the hollow sphere of wafer-thin aluminum sheets, now transformed into a screen. On this screen, with a total area of 1,000sq.m/10,750sq.ft, documentary films are projected at an angle of 172, with 12-channel stereo sound and 12,000 watts. The films are shot specially for the Géode, using a camera on the Canadian "Omnimax" system. The giant computer-controlled projector uses a 15 kilowatt lamp (normal projectors usually have only a 1.5 kilowatt lamp), and the 70 mm film produces frames almost 10 times the size of the usual 35 mm format. Since demand for tickets is high, it is advisable to book in advance.

The nearly 6,000 tons of material inside the theater is supported by a single pillar and an intricate web structure. The geodesic mesh frame has been assembled with strict attention to precise measurements and is sheathed with 6,433 stainless steel triangles.