Keramis – Centre de la Céramique
Ceramics museum and art centre on the site of the former Boch faience factory, with three listed 19th-century bottle kilns.
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About the museum
Keramis occupies the site of the former Boch Frères Keramis factory, founded in 1841 in La Louvière by Jean-François Boch. The factory, which became part of the Villeroy et Boch group, gave rise to a true workers' town around it. Hit by the decline of Wallonia's industry, it entered a concordat (a court-supervised settlement with creditors) in 2008, went bankrupt in 2009, and definitively ceased all industrial activity in 2011.
From 1998, a development plan provided for the redevelopment of this sixteen-hectare site. In 2003, three 19th-century bottle kilns, the building that houses them and a workshop were listed. A ceramics centre project backed by the Communauté française then took shape. The architectural team of Coton, De Visscher, Le Lion, Nottebaert and Vincentelli was selected in 2010, and the exterior envelope received a painted decoration by Jean Glibert.
The Centre de la Céramique opened on 8 May 2015. Its contemporary architecture encloses the old building and its kilns, the last examples of their kind in Belgium. The centre showcases the heritage of the Boch factory, passes on craft skills and supports contemporary creation through its workshops and artist residencies.
The collection comprises more than 10,000 objects, including Boch faience from the 19th and 20th centuries and contemporary ceramics and design from the second half of the 20th century. It is on deposit from the Fédération Wallonie-Bruxelles and has been enriched by acquisitions.
Highlights
- Three listed 19th-century bottle kilns
- Boch collection: 19th- and 20th-century faience, including vases by Charles Catteau
- Contemporary ceramics and design from the second half of the 20th century
- Ceramics workshops with firing and artist residencies
- Contemporary architecture around the industrial site of the former faience factory
Permanent exhibitions
- Collection Boch – Faience from the 19th and 20th centuries by the Boch Frères Keramis factory, including vases by Charles Catteau and everyday objects.
- Création contemporaine – Ceramics and design from the second half of the 20th century, on deposit from the Fédération Wallonie-Bruxelles and enriched by acquisitions.
- Founded
- 2015
- Operated by
- Centre de la Céramique de la Fédération Wallonie-Bruxelles (asbl)
Admission & discounts
| Adults | €9 |
|---|---|
| Reduced | €7Seniors aged 65 and over and holders of the SPW card |
| Children & teens | freefree up to age 17 · Free admission for under-18s. |
| Seniors | €7From age 65. |
| Visitors with disabilities | €3€3 rate for people with reduced mobility. |
| Students & apprentices | €3Students under 27 years of age. |
| Groups (15+ people) | €7 per personPer-person rate for groups of 15 or more; €3 for students under 27 and people with reduced mobility; free admission for school groups of pupils aged 6 to 18 with an accompanying adult, and for nursery school groups. |
| Families | –No family rate; admission is free for under-18s. |
| Article 27 | €1.25With an Article 27 ticket. |
| CPAS beneficiary | €1.25 |
| Guided group visit (flat fee, in addition to the per-person admission) | €130Duration 1 hour 30 minutes, up to 24 people, in French, Dutch or English, by reservation. |
| Ceramics workshop with firing (10 people) | €140€10 per additional person, up to 15 people. |
| Children's birthday (10 children) | €110On Wednesday afternoons, €10 per additional child, up to 15 children. |
Free admission: First Sunday of every month: free admission.
Also free with the museumPASSmusées, the ICOM card, the Prof card and the press card. kerAMI·es (museum friends) and corporate sponsors enter free. The €3 rate also applies with a FOREM certificate. EducPASS and ExperiencePass: two free admissions.
Accessibility
- Wheelchair accessible
- Elevator: no information
- Accessible restroom: no information
- Accessible parking
- Service dogs welcome
- Tactile models & exhibits: no information
- Sign language tours: no information
- Easy-to-read materials: no information
- Audio description: no information
The museum presents itself as accessible to people with reduced mobility; free parking spaces for people with reduced mobility are located in front of the museum. Dogs are not allowed, except guide dogs. An accessibility survey (Access-i label) exists for hearing, visual, physical or cognitive disabilities. A multisensory visit is offered to visually impaired visitors.
Kids & families
| Kids’ admission | free up to age 17 |
|---|
- Family tours & workshops
- Kids’ birthday parties
Under-18s enter free. The ceramics workshops also suit families. Children's birthday parties (for children up to 18 years old, 2 hours, Wednesday afternoons) include discovering an artwork and a workshop.
Getting there & parking
By public transit
La Louvière Kéramis · 7-min walk
gare de La Louvière-Centre. TEC bus: stop “La Louvière SNCB Centre” (5 minutes on foot) and stop “La Louvière Kéramis” (7 minutes on foot).
By car
Free parking
Free parking at gare de La Louvière-Centre and on boulevard des Droits de l'Homme; free parking with a parking disc on rue des Émailleurs; spaces for people with reduced mobility in front of the museum.
- Accessible parking
Address: Place des Fours-Bouteilles 1, 7100 La Louvière.
Get directionsAmenities & dining
- Café
Café des faïenciers et des faïencières, open during the centre's opening hours, with a terrace.
Events & venue rental
The museum hasn’t published any information on this.
Plan your visit
| Guided tours | yes · approx. 1.5 hrs |
|---|---|
| School programs | yes |
| Good to know | Guided tours of the Boch collections or of a temporary exhibition for groups (up to 24 people), in French, Dutch or English, by reservation; multisensory visit for visually impaired visitors. Two-hour ceramics workshops with firing; pieces can be collected about three months later. |
