Description of the attraction
In Paris, there is such an unusual place as the museum of forgeries. Fakes of what? Total!
The museum, located on the ground floor of an elegant 19th century mansion, was created by the French Union of Manufacturers back in 1951, since then the exposition has been constantly replenished and improved.
Most French people think that counterfeiting is just a game with the police, no big deal. Meanwhile, the growing counterfeit market is costing France 38,000 jobs and 6 billion euros annually. To show the society the danger of falsification, the museum works.
He started with fake canned fish and thread on spools. Now the exposition has many modern household items - mobile phones, knives, lighters, razors, pens. There is a wax mannequin, dressed from head to toe in horrible clothes with labels from well-known manufacturers. Shopping enthusiasts can compare counterfeits and original products and find out how they can be distinguished. Sometimes counterfeiters change the letter in the name or the shape of the item - here is the Hugo perfume on the shelf, and next to it is Vigo in a very similar bottle. Or cans of coffee, packaging of cleaning products, ketchup, beer, Barbie dolls, software, sunglasses, T-shirts, CDs …
The exhibition tells how dangerous counterfeiting can be: both medicines and spare parts for cars and airplanes are counterfeited, toys can contain flammable materials, toxic substances or small parts, dark glasses do not protect the eyes from the sun, and electrical appliances can kill instantly.
The new wing of the museum displays fake figurines by Rodin, Dali and Giacometti, describing counterfeiting methods such as the use of acid and wax to age bronze.
The jewel in the collection is the amphora from around 200 BC. NS. - these were used to transport wine from Italy to Gaul. The cork in the amphora is fake (the real one is nearby), which means that the wine was not of high quality either.
