Musée de Folklore et des Imaginaires
Tournai folklore museum in a 17th-century house: 23 rooms on daily life, festivals, games and trades from the 19th to the 20th century.
Have only individual sections read aloud
About the museum
The Musée de Folklore et des Imaginaires, called MuFIm and formerly the Maison tournaisienne, has occupied a typical 17th-century house since 1930, in an alley near the Grand-Place of Tournai. It was founded in the 1930s by the jurist and folklorist Walter Ravez, and its collection was built up through donations from the public.
The objects, spread over 23 exhibition rooms, tell the story and daily life between the 19th and 20th centuries. From the early years, the museum commissioned carved mannequins based on archive images and reconstructed scenes: a café, a farm kitchen, trades. These reconstructions now engage in dialogue with ethnographic collections, folk art, modern and contemporary art, and works by visual artists from the 20th century to the present.
The route is organised around major themes: the city and landscapes, festivals, games, decorative arts, language and regional culture, rites of life, and work and daily life. Among them is a copy of a relief model of Tournai commissioned by Louis XIV, lit by a system that guides the visitor through the streets. The museum also takes an interest in the jeu de fer, recognised as intangible cultural heritage of the Fédération Wallonie-Bruxelles.
Highlights
- 17th-century Tournai house with 23 exhibition rooms
- Copy of a relief model of Tournai commissioned by Louis XIV
- Reconstructed scenes: a café, a farm kitchen, trades
- Objects of festivals, games and rites of life
- Dialogue between ethnographic objects and works by artists
Permanent exhibition
- Collections permanentes du MuFIm – Route through 23 rooms on the city and landscapes, festivals, games, decorative arts, rites of life and daily life, with reconstructed scenes and works by artists.
- Founded
- 1930
- Operated by
- Ville de Tournai
Admission & discounts
| Adults | €5 |
|---|---|
| Reduced | €3seniors (65 and over), young people aged 6 to 18, people with reduced mobility (Handypass), students from outside Tournai, groups of 10 or more |
| Children & teens | €3free up to age 5 · Young people aged 6 to 18; free for children under 6 |
| Seniors | €3From 65 years |
| Visitors with disabilities | €3On presentation of the Handypass |
| Students & apprentices | €3Students from outside the Tournai area; free for students from the Tournai area |
| Groups (10+ people) | €3 per personGroups from 10 people; school groups from outside the Fédération Wallonie-Bruxelles €3 per pupil; youth movements, play centres, boarding schools and recognised youth organisations €3 |
| Article 27 | €1.25On presentation of the card |
| “Passage” rate (flash visit) | €1Entry in the last 15 minutes before closing |
| Passport for 10 entries to the museums of your choice | €30 |
Free admission: Every first Sunday of the month, for all visitors
Also free for teachers, the press, museumPASSmusées holders, museum-related associations, school groups of the Fédération Wallonie-Bruxelles, municipal and CPAS staff, guides of the Tournai guides' association and tourist accommodation providers; free admission applies on presentation of the card justifying the status. The till closes half an hour before the museum closes.
Accessibility
- Wheelchair accessible: not available
- Elevator: no information
- Accessible restroom: no information
- Accessible parking: no information
- Service dogs welcome: no information
- Tactile models & exhibits: no information
- Sign language tours: no information
- Easy-to-read materials: no information
- Audio description: no information
The museum is not accessible to people with reduced mobility.
Kids & families
The museum hasn’t published any information on this.
Getting there & parking
By public transit
Grand-Place · 2-min walk
Train to Tournai station (about 20 minutes on foot); bus line W to the ‘Grand-Place’ stop.
By car
Parking available
Free car park 800 metres away; free parking in the blue zone 50 metres away; paid car park 10 metres away.
By car: about 1 hour 15 minutes from Brussels, 30 minutes from Lille and 40 minutes from Mons and Charleroi.
Get directionsAmenities & dining
The museum hasn’t published any information on this.
Events & venue rental
The museum hasn’t published any information on this.
Plan your visit
| Guided tours | yes |
|---|---|
| School programs | yes |
| Good to know | Guided group visits are organised with the Tournai Tourist Office (tourisme@tournai.be, +32 69 22 20 45). Playful guided tours ‘Le Saviez-vous ?’ (Did you know?) take place on certain dates and are included in the entrance price. The city's education department offers activities for primary education. |
