Museo del Bijou

About the museum

The Museo del Bijou was established in 1986 and set up in its current venue ten years later, in the semi-basement of the former Collegio Santa Croce, a building erected by the Barnabite Fathers around the middle of the 18th century. It is a specialist museum of industrial heritage, which preserves the ornamental objects and accessories produced by the factories of Casalmaggiore between the late 19th century and the 1970s.

The Casalmaggiore bijou industry began in a small workshop on the initiative of Giulio Galluzzi, who in 1882 produced the first sheet of gold-plated metal and was already exporting to Latin America in 1887. In the late 1920s the firms Galluzzi, Società Federale Orefici and Il Placcato merged into the Fabbriche Riunite Placcato Oro. When the company abandoned costume jewellery in the mid-1970s, the collection of samples risked being dispersed. The Associazione Amici del Bijou, made up mainly of former employees, promoted the creation of the museum, and the heritage of the Fabbriche Riunite was donated to the municipality in 1985.

Alongside brooches, cufflinks, bracelets, belts, earrings and pendants, the collection includes powder compacts, lipstick cases, cigarette cases, sunglasses, devotional medals and badges, together with original machinery, tools, catalogues, documents and period photographs. The permanent display is completed by two workshops, one professional and one educational, and a documentation centre.

Highlights

• Costume jewellery made in Casalmaggiore from the late 19th century to the 1970s
• Original machinery, tools and catalogues of the old factories
• Twelve tactile display cases with Braille captions, audio via QR codes and videos in Italian Sign Language (LIS)
• Professional and educational workshops and documentation centre
• Combined ticket with the Museo Diotti

Permanent exhibition

• Esposizione permanente del Museo del Bijou – Costume jewellery, machinery, tools, catalogues and photographs of the Casalmaggiore factories, with tactile display cases and videos in Italian Sign Language (LIS).

Founded

1986

Operated by

Comune di Casalmaggiore

Visitors per year

approx. 3,889

Admission & discounts

Free admission: First Sunday of the month (#domenicalmuseo).

Free admission also for journalists, teachers visiting with their classes, tour guides and holders of the Abbonamento Musei Lombardia.

Accessibility

• Partially wheelchair accessible
• Elevator: no information
• Accessible restroom: no information
• Accessible parking: no information
• Service dogs welcome: no information
• Tactile models & exhibits
• Sign language tours: no information
• Easy-to-read materials: no information
• Audio description: no information

The museum is accessible to people with disabilities, but the building does not allow all architectural barriers to be removed. Staff help visitors with mobility difficulties, and it is advisable to telephone in advance to agree on solutions. The project “All included!” (2019) offers twelve tactile display cases with brochures and captions in Braille and large print, audio explanations via QR codes, a tactile map (since 2020) and videos in LIS, also on tablets available to visitors.

Kids & families

• Family tours & workshops
• Hands-on stations

For nursery and primary schools there are routes of about 2 hours with hands-on workshops (for example on clay, amulets and gears). The museum has display cases you can touch.

Getting there & parking

The museum is at Via Porzio 9, in the centre of Casalmaggiore. Casalmaggiore is served by the Parma–Brescia railway and by the Tep (Parma, Sabbioneta) and Arriva (Cremona, Viadana) bus services.

Amenities & 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