the maison des canuts

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our last stop in lyon was at the maison des canuts, which basically means the museum of the silk makers.  Canuts were specifically silk makers often working on large looms in lyon.  it is up in croix-rousse, which is now part of lyon proper, but at the time when weaving was at the height of prominence, it was its own city.  it in northern lyon perched on the top of a large hill.

 we were on a guided tour and learned the history of silk making and how to weave on the large looms.  i finally had the mystery of how different colors appear in weavings solved!  most of the demonstration was in french, but it was easy to follow visually.  without the demonstration, there was very little to see in the museum.  it had a beautiful silk shop at the front with two rooms with old weaving equipment and some photographs/sketches.  

 the silk weavers were some of the earliest "unions."  they created collective bargaining as well as had a trade newsletter, etc.  it was interesting to see how that that history developed and changed the city into what it is today.

 a great overview of the area as silk was the primary income source for this area for the last almost 500 years...!

 time in museum: 1.25 hr
times visited: 1
overall: B+
Location: La Maison des Canuts, 12 Rue d'Ivry, 69004 Lyon, France

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