The Museum of Silk

The village of Taulignan is strongly connected with the manufacture of silk thread. The first silk spinning began in the 1730s and in the nineteenth century 3,000 people were employed. Business declined after the Suez Canal allowed cheaper transport of silk from China.

The museum is built up from the collection of a silk weaver and expert in the history of the industry M. Lançon. With ancient equipment it shows the whole process of making silk, from the collection of the cocoons to winding the silk from them, spinning thread and weaving textiles. Displays and videos tell visitors about the entrepreneurs and the lives of nineteenth-century factory workers. There is a shop to buy silk products.