Timeline

Origin and history

The Charlieu Silk Museum was established in 1992 as a municipal museum. Located in a former 18th-century Hôtel-Dieu, it is dedicated to preserving and enhancing the local textile heritage. The museum exhibits 19th-century textile machines still in working order, as well as antique silk dresses and designs for haute couture. These collections illustrate Charlieu's historical importance in high-end silk production, an activity that has marked the region for over a century and a half.

Part of the museum is dedicated to the last Corporation des Tisserands still active in France, Charlieu's. This corporation perpetuates unique traditions, including a spectacular annual celebration including an auction of royal charges. The museum also offers an audiovisual projection detailing the stages of creating a fabric, thus offering a complete immersion in the universe of silk. The museum is labeled "Museum of France" and is part of a varied thematic field, covering decorative arts, ethnology, local history and industrial techniques.

The museum is located at 9 boulevard du Général Leclerc in Charlieu, in the Loire department, in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region. Although the accuracy of its location is considered mediocre (note 5/10), it remains an essential place to understand the industrial and artisanal heritage of silk in this region. Its association with the Hôtel-Dieu, a historic monument, strengthens its anchor in the local architectural and cultural heritage.

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