Timeline

Key figures

Origin and history

The Musée des Arts et Métiers du Livre de Montolieu was founded on the initiative of Michel Braibant, a passionate bookmaker and librarian. Located in the village of Montolieu, in the Aude, this museum is part of a larger project: to transform the municipality into a village of the book, inspired by European models such as Hay-on-Wye (Wales) or Redu (Belgium). Since 1989, when this project was launched, Montolieu has been home to about fifteen bookstores, craft workshops (relier, engraver, calligrapher) and this museum dedicated to book techniques.

The museum offers a chronological path from the origins of writing, with pictograms, cuneiform or ideographic writing, to the invention of printing. It presents the materials used throughout the ages: Sumerian clay tablets, Egyptian papyrus, medieval parchments and paper. An important section is devoted to printing, from Gutenberg's moving characters to modern presses, including character fonders and rotary presses. Visitors also discover the work of binding, engraving and print.

Beyond its conservation role, the museum highlights contemporary printing and graphic arts, part of the cultural dynamics of Montolieu. This village, now recognized as the village of book and graphic arts in France, owes its fame to the commitment of Michel Braibant and the unique concentration of artisans, booksellers and places dedicated to the history of the book.

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