Museum of J. M. Petzval in Spišská Belá

The Museum of Jozef Maximilián Petzval (1807 – 1891), a prominent mathematician, physicist, engineer, university professor, inventor and pioneer in the field of photographic optics, has been open to the public in his birthplace in Spišská Belá since 1964.

The Photographic and Cinematographic Technique exhibition presents the life and work of J. M. Petzval and his brother O. B. Petzval. Here you will find information about cinematographic technology from the camera obscura to the first photograph (1826). You will learn about the development of photographic optics and technology. The overview of the history of cinematography will be enhanced by the many presented recording and projection devices.

Visitors will be able to see a unique all-metal replica of the Voigtländer & Sohn daguerreotype device with a portrait lens, which J. M. Petzval was the first in the world to convert in 1840. Its discovery was a harbinger of the enormous development of photographic technology. The beginnings of photography are reminiscent of images taken using the daguerreotype, ambrotype and ferrotype techniques. The collections of photographic equipment in display cases, divided by typology and format, map their development to the present day. The exhibits present renowned European, American and Japanese manufacturers who have brought significant innovations in the field of analogue and digital photographic technology.

The unique Krügener detective chamber in the form of a book or a panorama of a period photo studio from the early 20th century and photo chambers from the 1970s effectively complement the exclusive exhibition.