Timeline

Key figures

Origin and history

The House of Canuts is a Lyon museum dedicated to the history of canuts, these silk weavers who marked the Croix-Rousse district. Founded in 1970 by the Cooptiss cooperative, created a decade earlier by Lyon artisans, this place aims to promote industrial and artisanal silk heritage. It is part of a context of renewed interest in textile heritage, illustrated by emblematic projects such as the weaving of the fabrics of the King's chamber in Versailles, led by the manufactures Prelle and Tassinari and Chatel.

In 1998, the Cooptiss cooperative filed the balance sheet, followed in 2003 by the Maison des Canuts itself, due to poor management. The site is then taken over via a public-private partnership: the city of Lyon retains the collections, the Société anonyme de construction de la Ville de Lyon (SACVL) owns the walls, and a private company manages the site. Between 2004 and 2009, the museum was redesigned and expanded, with priority being given to the re-establishment of looms. The new Canut House was inaugurated in October 2009.

The museum offers guided tours highlighting the history of the Lyon silk, from 1536 to the present day. The exhibitions cover a variety of topics: the Chinese origins of silk, the silkworm cycle, the evolution of the canut trade, workers' revolts, the manufacture of gold and silver yarns (guimpery), and the revolutionary invention of the Jacquard trade. Demonstrations of weaving on functional trades allow visitors to discover this ancestral know-how.

Located in the historic Croix-Rousse district, Maison des Canuts is easily accessible by public transport. The site is served by several bus lines (2, 33, 45, C13) and metro C, with an immediate stop ("Rousse Cross"). A bus line even has a specific stop "Maison des Canuts", stressing the heritage importance of this place in the Lyon metropolis.

Collection

Une boutique vendant des produits liés à la soie est implantée dans la maison. Les produits sont 100 % made in France.

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