La Fonderie: Brussels Museum of Industry and Labour

La Fonderie is the Museum of Industry and Labour for Brussels as a leading industrial city. It is in the Molenbeek area, known as ‘the Belgian Manchester’. The museum uses the foundry buildings of the Compagnie des Bronzes, which cast statues, sculpture, fountains and street furniture from 1887 to 1979. The buildings around the courtyard include a bronze-casting hall, a smelting hall, a sculpture workshop and a manager’s house.

The displays present the main industrial sectors of Brussels: metal, wood, textiles, food, car manufacturing and hat making. They look at technology, business, working conditions and trade. The museum provides guided tours of the industrial heritage of Brussels on foot and by boat on the Willebroek canal. There are temporary exhibitions and an archive.