Museo del patrimonio industriale di Bologna

About the museum

The museum tells the economic and productive history of Bologna and its territory from the late Middle Ages to the present. The original nucleus dates from 1982 as the museum-workshop of the Istituzione Aldini-Valeriani, the oldest technical school in the city, with the exhibition “Macchine scuola industria”, which recovered the school's historic collections.

In 1997, after the restoration of the former Fornace Galotti, the museum moved to its present seat and took the name Museo del patrimonio industriale. The kiln, built in 1887 along the Navile canal, was for a long time the largest brick works in the city, with a 16-chamber Hoffmann kiln, and ceased operations in 1966. The permanent route “Prodotto a Bologna” (Made in Bologna) was completed in 2000.

The sections occupy the Hoffmann kiln and the rooms of the old drying sheds: scientific instruments and machines from the Aldini-Valeriani, the history of the kiln, the collection of packaging machines that documents Bologna's packaging district, and the route through five centuries of production, from silk to 20th-century mechanics, with a working model of the Bolognese silk mill. Since 2019 the multimedia space “La Fabbrica del Futuro” has been dedicated to contemporary industry. The museum is part of the Settore Musei Civici of the Comune di Bologna.

Highlights

• Working model at 1:2 scale of the Bolognese silk mill
• Hoffmann kiln of the former Fornace Galotti, a 19th-century industrial building
• Collection of automatic packaging machines
• Scientific instruments and models from the Istituzione Aldini-Valeriani
• Multimedia space “La Fabbrica del Futuro”

Permanent exhibitions

• Prodotto a Bologna – Permanent route on Bologna's production history from silk to mechanics, with the working model of the Bolognese silk mill.
• La Fabbrica del Futuro – Multimedia and interactive space dedicated to contemporary industry and its innovations.

Founded

1982

Operated by

Comune di Bologna – Settore Musei Civici

Visitors per year

approx. 33,516

Admission & discounts

Free admission with the Card Cultura and the Bologna Welcome Card. The museum adheres to the European Disability Card.

Accessibility

• Wheelchair accessible
• Elevator
• Accessible restroom
• 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

Almost all rooms and outdoor spaces are accessible. The entrance has a manual revolving door: for assistance there is an intercom, and a side entrance is also available. Accessible toilets on the first and second floors are reached by lift. The exhibition route can be explored by touch by reservation, with a companion from the educational service. Captions are in Italian and English; the bus stop is about 250 m away.

Kids & families

• Family tours & workshops

The museum organises workshops and activities for children and young people.

Getting there & parking

The museum is in the first northern outskirts of Bologna, along the Navile canal.

Amenities & dining

• Museum shop

Bookshop, conference room and room for temporary exhibitions.

Events & venue rental

The museum hasn’t published any information on this.

Plan your visit