Place de l'Eglise, parking la mairie
69480 Marcy
Explore the telegraph, a rare relic in perfect working order. A historical curiosity, an original exhibition idea, and an invigorating winter stroll, you can also enjoy the esplanade, which has been designed for a pleasant break at the end of the tour.
You'll love:
• The telegraph, one of the rare French examples in perfect working order.
• An unusual monument for a school presentation.
• A breath of fresh air for winter outings in dry, bright weather.
• The telegraph esplanade, designed for a meal at the end of the walk.
A bit of culture:
The Chappe telegraph, ICT* before the Internet and cell phones
Claude Chappe invented his telegraph in 1793. A network of 535 stations, posted along 5,000 kilometers of "lines," was created in France and beyond, with the aim of disseminating dispatches, particularly military ones. Optical signals were emitted using articulated arms. Operators captured them with binoculars and transmitted them from one relay to another. The one in Marcy was the 55th of the 58 on the Paris-Lyon line. On any given day, and without any climatic constraints, a message could be transmitted between the two capitals in about an hour. It operated from 1799 to 1852 and was restored in the 1980s.
