The technical tradition of Timisoara, reflected in the UPT Museum

Museum of Politehnica University Timișoara

Given the well-known technical tradition of Timisoara and the numerous awards recorded here, but also in the context of the future European cultural capital, the appearance of a museum of technology is more than welcome. In this regard, on Thursday, March 12, 2020, the official reception was held at the completion of the arrangement of the Museum of Politehnica University Timișoara and the presentation to the management of the institution.

The new museum, arranged in the first phase only with the Electro Section, houses a series of exhibits that have made history in Timisoara, starting with MECIPT-1 (the acronym for "Electronic Calculation Machine of the Polytechnic Institute in Timisoara"), the first computer in the university environment and the first alphanumeric calculator in Romania. MECIPT-1, put into operation in 1961, was a first generation computer with electronic tubes, which was used both in the teaching process and for the calculations necessary for objectives such as the Vidraru dam and The RomExpo pavilion. Inside the UPT Museum, MECIPT-2, a second generation computer, with transistors and memory with ferrites, put into operation in 1965, used for design, as well as a series of computers from the next generations. A number of computer components, used over the years, measuring devices of all generations, oscilloscopes and others are exposed in the museum.

Last but not least, UPT Museum also has a section dedicated to the latest researches and achievements in the field of cutting-edge technologies: interactive tablets and tables, VR glasses, virtual and augmented reality applications. In this sense, the project Spotlight Heritage Timișoara was presented, developed by Politehnica University Timișoara, which tells the story of the Iosefin neighborhood through the mobile and augmented reality application, accessible on an interactive table and on tablets.

The new museum, set up in the vicinity of the interactive physics laboratory Experimentarium TM (Splaiul Spiru Haret no. 1A, Timișoara - Roses Park) is not yet open to the public, the official inauguration to be announced.