Industrial Heritage

MAAM

Fri, 05 Aug 2016 13:13:11 GMT

The Museum, inaugurated September 29th 2001, develops along an itinerary of approximately two kilometers, involving Via Jervis and the surrounding areas where the most representative buildings of the Olivetti culture are found.

Its establishment makes it possible to offer an organised response to the request to know the modern architectural heritage of Ivrea. Along the public walking route, connecting the buildings, there are seven information stations, in a succession that is such that it constitutes a possible visit itinerary characterised by a strong integration with the urban fabric.

The themes illustrated by the stations speak of events related to Olivetti’s commitment to architecture, urban planning, industrial design and advertising graphics and the cultural contexts these events take place in.

Seven thematic areas were found in this way:

• Olivetti and Ivrea;

• the community its social policies

• production architecture

• the industrial project

• territorial planning

• the product and image

• the building

It can be visited year round, for free

National Enterprise Cinema Archive

Fri, 05 Aug 2016 13:14:57 GMT

In 2003 the Ivrea National Enterprise Cinema Archive was established to preserve and publicise visual documents made in the Enterprise environment. The archive preserves approximately 50,000 rolls of film made from the early years of the 20th century by companies such as Fiat, Olivetti, Borsalino, Breda, Innocenti, Montecatini, Montedison, Edison, Recchi, Martini & Rossi, Rancilio, Aurora, Italgas, BirraPeroni, Breda, Aem Milano, Istituto per ilCommercio Estero (Foreign Commerce Institute), Necchi, Metropolitana Milanese; research entities such as Enea and EneaAntartide; advertising production companies such as Film Master and Rectafilm.

It is necessary to contact the Archive directly

Olivetti Historical Archive

Fri, 05 Aug 2016 13:14:01 GMT

The Olivetti Historical Archive Association, established in Ivrea in 1998, as an initiative of the Olivetti Company, in covenant with the Adriano Olivetti Foundation and with the participation of important public and private partners, carries out a collection, organisation, preservation, study and promotion activity for the extremely vast archival heritage regarding the history of the Company and personalities from the Olivetti Family. This project continues the work began by the Olivetti Historical Archive, established in 1986, to whom the Adriano Olivetti Foundation assigned preservation of their respective documental heritage.

The most substantial part of the archival and library heritage today preserved by the Association comes from the Olivetti Company and consists of documents, letters, books, newspapers, magazines, drawings, photos, videos, products, prototypes and plastic models. This heritage, consisting in approximately 7,300 linear metres, with more than 3,700 of them inventoried, is a systematic work of electronic filing and, as much as possible, digitising.

The association also keeps, on deposit from the Adriano Olivetti Foundation, the archive collecting company and private correspondence of Camilo, Adriano and other members of the Olivetti Family, the MovimentoComunità e delleEdizioni di Comunità (Community Movement and Community Editions) archive and the personal library of Ludovico Quaroni.

The activity of the Association does not finish strictly with the documental recovery, catalogue and preservation archival work, but it is also manifest with the assistance and consulting activities towards scholars and researchers, organisation and/or collaboration with cultural activities of private and public entities, exhibits, films, conferences, studies, research and publications finalised at promoting and examining knowledge of history and Olivetti values.

The great exhibit about the history of the Olivetti industrial project organised by the Association in 2008 to celebrate the one hundredth anniversary of the Company is now transformed into a permanent exhibit located in VillettaCasana, just a short walk from the location of the Archives.

It is necessary to contact the Association

Tecnologic@mente Laboratory-Museum

Fri, 05 Aug 2016 13:12:12 GMT

The Tecnologic@mente Laboratory Museum is showcased as an area dedicated to knowledge of technologies and, in particular, a space for discovering creative processes at the base of industrial production. Inside it is possible to visit the collection of machines that allowed the company from Ivrea to reach worldwide leadership in the mechanics and electronics sector.
The permanent exhibit is divided into various sections.
The writing Section is dedicated to Camillo Olivetti 1868-1943, founder of the “First Italian factory of typewriters”. This area displays mechanical and electro-mechanical typewriters, starting from the first models from the end of the 19th century to those that were still common around thirty years ago.
The Mechanical Calculation Room was dedicated to NataleCapellaro 1902-1977, the designer and inventor was hired as apprentice worker when he was 14 years old and became General Technical Director for Olivetti. From the abacus to the super calculator Mc27, from calculators that do not write to the accounting ones. Between these extremes it is possible to see the MC24, the first writing calculator capable of executing 4 operations, the Tetractys, the most complete, and the millionth Divisumma, all designed by Capellaro.
The Electronic Calculation Room is dedicated to Pier Giorgio Perotto 1930-2002.
In this room it is possible to admire the Programma 101, the first desktop computer in the world, and some office calculating machines, pocket ones, writing ones, programmable and not, the “almost personal” and the writing systems.
The “Sala ELEA 9003” room is dedicated to Adriano Olivetti (1901-1960), extraordinary and multifaceted business man figure and man of culture, politician and intellectual, and Mario Tchou (1924-1961), the genius of calculators, director of the Olivetti Electronic Research Laboratory.
The Personal Computer Room is dedicated to Roberto Olivetti (1928-1985), son of Adriano.
In this section it is possible to admire the legendary Sinclair and the Commodore of the home computer sector, the “Apple phenomenon”, the M20 and M40 by Olivetti.
The overview is completed by certain “transportable” example, such as the Osborne 1 and laptops like the Quaderno, precursory of the Notebook.