The experience of the Voyage dans le cristal travelling museum exhibition

Crystallography is little known to the public, even though it underpins much of the research into matter in physics, chemistry, new materials and life sciences. On the one hand, crystallography is present in almost every field of scientific or technical activity and also in innovative applications. On the other hand, the origins of crystallography started with humanity's interrogation and interaction with crystals in prehistoric times, which has continued to the present day. These two `views' can be used to focus public interest on crystallography and show children and students the importance of the scientific approach. As an example, this article describes the travelling exhibition Journey into the crystal, which presents to the general public the science and the beauty of matter in the crystalline state. This exhibition takes visitors on a journey of discovery about matter, but also on a journey through time to the beginnings of crystallography.