Maison des Canuts
Workshop museum on the Croix-Rousse hill devoted to Lyon silk, the life of the canuts and Jacquard’s invention, with a weaving demonstration.
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About the museum
The Maison des Canuts was founded in 1970 by the COOPTISS, a weaving cooperative. The site has a long history: as early as the late 19th century it housed the headquarters of the Syndicat des Tisseurs et Similaires on the Croix-Rousse plateau.
The canuts, master weavers of gold, silver and silk threads, shaped the identity of this district. The museum tells the great story of Lyon silk and of the people who built it, from the organisation of the Fabrique (the name given to Lyon’s silk industry) to the canut revolts of 1831 and 1834.
The route comprises three exhibition rooms and a weaving workshop. The rooms present the origins of silk, discovered around 5,000 years ago, the life cycle of the silkworm, the making of gold and silver threads and the invention of the Jacquard loom. A final room hosts temporary exhibitions.
During guided visits, the guide opens the workshop and explains the steps that come before weaving, from design to fabric. A demonstration is given on an authentic 19th-century hand loom with Jacquard mechanism. The tour continues in the lecture hall, where the development of Lyon silk weaving from 1536 to the present day is traced. The shop sells textile accessories made in France.
Highlights
- Weaving demonstration on a 19th-century Jacquard hand loom
- History of silk and the silkworm
- Making of gold and silver threads
- The canut revolts of 1831 and 1834
- Combined visits with the traboules (covered passageways through building blocks) of the Croix-Rousse
Permanent exhibition
- Collection permanente – Three rooms on the origins of silk, gold and silver threads, the Lyon Fabrique and the canut revolts, plus the weaving workshop.
- Founded
- 1970
- Visitors per year
- approx. 24,787
Admission & discounts
| Adults | €3 |
|---|---|
| Reduced | €1.50School classes and students |
| Children & teens | freefree up to age 11 · Free up to age 11. |
| Students & apprentices | €1.50School and student rate. |
| Groups (10+ people) | €9 per personGuided workshop visit for adult groups, 50 minutes; one person free for every 20 paying visitors. School visit: €6 per pupil. |
| Guided visit with weaving demonstration, adult (permanent collection included) | €10Free up to age 11 |
| Guided visit with weaving demonstration, school class or student | €7 |
| Guided visit of the Maison des Canuts and the Croix-Rousse traboules, adult | €18 |
| Guided visit of the Maison des Canuts and the Croix-Rousse traboules, school class or student | €12 |
| Combined visit with the Atelier Mattelon, adult | €18 |
| Combined visit with the Atelier Mattelon, school class or student | €12 |
Admission to the permanent collection: €3 for adults. Access to the permanent collection and the workshop visit is possible with the Pass’Région Jeunes and the Lyon City Card; visits of the traboules and the Atelier Mattelon are not included. Chèques-vacances (holiday vouchers) and chèques culture (culture vouchers) are accepted.
Accessibility
- Wheelchair accessible
- 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 advertised as accessible to people with reduced mobility. The visit to the traboules involves around 400 steps downhill.
Kids & families
Great for kids & familiesRecommended for ages 7+
| Kids’ admission | free up to age 11 |
|---|
- Family tours & workshops
Family workshops during school holidays, for example making a pumpkin or a silk cat, and special visits for children. Family workshops are offered from age 7, with an adult, by reservation.
Getting there & parking
By public transit
Croix-Rousse
Metro line C, Croix-Rousse stop; buses 2, 33, 45, S4, S6 and C13, Croix-Rousse stop.
By car
Paid parking
LPA Gros Caillou and Joannes Ambre car parks. For coaches: Mur des canuts (rue Aimé Boussange) or a drop-off point (dépose-minute) on the Place de la Croix-Rousse.
Amenities & dining
- Museum shop
Shop selling textile accessories made in France and fabrics from the Philéone brand.
Events & venue rental
The museum hasn’t published any information on this.
Plan your visit
| Guided tours | yes · approx. 50 min |
|---|---|
| School programs | yes |
| Good to know | Group visits to the Maison des Canuts last 50 minutes; the visit with the traboules or the Atelier Mattelon lasts 2 hours 30 minutes. Visits in English are possible for groups. Booking is required for groups of at least 10 people and for school classes. |
