Musée de la chaussure
Tiny museum in the Rôtillon quarter: 5,000 years of shoe history, reconstructed from archaeological finds and hands-on.
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About the museum
The museum has its origin in a small leather workshop that the craftsman Serge Volken opened in 1983 to explore purely manual techniques from the time before industrialisation. Together with his later wife Marquita, he specialised in the archaeology of leather and in 1993 founded the Gentle Craft centre for calceology and old leather, which soon gained recognition among archaeological services and institutes across Europe.
The museum came into being for the tenth anniversary of this research centre, in order to share the accumulated knowledge with the public. It is located in a shop unit with a display window in the Rôtillon, a former tanners' quarter of Lausanne, and occupies only a few square metres. A supporting association was founded for the tenth anniversary.
The collection consists of reconstructions of shoes and leather accessories based exclusively on archaeological finds; each piece is the result of research on original fragments. The museum makes its objects on its own premises, visitors are allowed to handle them and are guided personally through the history of shoes. The journey spans some 5,000 years, up to the beginning of industrialisation.
Highlights
- 5,000 years of shoe history in a space of just a few square metres
- Reconstructions based on archaeological finds
- Everything may be touched, also suitable for visually impaired visitors
- Personal guided tour on every visit
- Free admission
- Founded
- 2003
- Operated by
- Gentle Craft (Serge und Marquita Volken), Förderverein AdMC
Admission & discounts
Admission is free.
Admission is free.
Accessibility
- Wheelchair accessible: no information
- 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 objects may be touched, so the visit is also accessible to visually impaired visitors.
Kids & families
- Hands-on stations
All objects may be touched.
Getting there & parking
By public transit
Flon
Metro m2 from Lausanne station to Flon or Bessières.
By car
Parking available
Rôtillon car park directly next to the museum.
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
| Guided tours | yes |
|---|---|
| Good to know | Every visit is a personal guided tour of the exhibition. On request the museum also comes to schools, events and groups; an appointment is recommended. |
