La Fonderie, Brussels Museum of Industry and Labour (french: La Fonderie, Musée bruxellois des industries et du travail, nl, La Fonderie, Brussels museum van de industrie en de arbeid) is a museum of

industrial history The Industrial Revolution was the transition to new manufacturing processes in Great Britain, continental Europe, and the United States, that occurred during the period from around 1760 to about 1820–1840. This transition included going fr ...

Brussels Brussels (french: Bruxelles or ; nl, Brussel ), officially the Brussels-Capital Region (All text and all but one graphic show the English name as Brussels-Capital Region.) (french: link=no, Région de Bruxelles-Capitale; nl, link=no, Bruss ...

, Belgium. It collects objects, documents and oral history on the city's industrial past and visualises the working history of Brussels. The museum is located at 27, / in

Molenbeek-Saint-Jean ( French, ) or (Dutch, ), often simply called Molenbeek, is one of the 19 municipalities of the Brussels-Capital Region, Belgium. Located in the western part of the region, it is bordered by the City of Brussels, from which it is separated ...

, on the site of the former

foundry A foundry is a factory that produces metal castings. Metals are cast into shapes by melting them into a liquid, pouring the metal into a mold, and removing the mold material after the metal has solidified as it cools. The most common metals pr ...

of the ''Compagnie des Bronzes de Bruxelles'' (1854–1979), close to the

Brussels–Charleroi Canal The Brussels–Charleroi Canal, also known as the Charleroi Canal amongst other similar names, (french: canal Bruxelles-Charleroi, nl, kanaal Brussel-Charleroi) is an important canal in Belgium. The canal is quite large, with a Class IV Freyc ...

. It is managed as a

nonprofit organisation A nonprofit organization (NPO) or non-profit organisation, also known as a non-business entity, not-for-profit organization, or nonprofit institution, is a legal entity organized and operated for a collective, public or social benefit, in co ...

focusing on analysing and exhibiting the economic and social history of the Brussels region. It publishes a magazine, organises guided tours and provides educational activities. La Fonderie also houses a documentation centre open to the public.

Exhibits

The museum presents four key industry sectors that have created or transformed products made in Brussels: the metal industry, woodworking, textile manufacturing and food processing. Each module includes two showcase machines that represent the technology and the companies that made and used them as well as the working conditions. The exhibits are mainly from the museum's own collections but also from those of partner institutions and private collectors. The permanent exhibition is since 2001 in the

lathe A lathe () is a machine tool that rotates a workpiece about an axis of rotation to perform various operations such as cutting, sanding, knurling, drilling, deformation, facing, and turning, with tools that are applied to the workpiece to c ...

room of the former ''Compagnie des Bronzes''. Temporary exhibitions are shown in the top floor of the museum and additional exhibits of various industry sectors are planned to be shown in coming years. La Fonderie supplements the exhibitions of the major museums in Brussels. The bilingual French and Dutch exhibition addresses those interested in sociology and technology as well as local history. An English manual is available which includes translations of the captions of the exhibits.Permanent exhibition
La Fonderie, Brussels Museum of Industry and Labour.JPG, Interior view Asphalt machine in La Fonderie, Brussels Museum of Industry and Labour.JPG,

Asphalt Asphalt, also known as bitumen (, ), is a sticky, black, highly viscous liquid or semi-solid form of petroleum. It may be found in natural deposits or may be a refined product, and is classed as a pitch. Before the 20th century, the term a ...

machine Edouard Mennig - Brussels Midi - Ducouroir.jpg, Woodworking machine of Edouard Mennig Lynotype machine by Lynotype and Machinery Ltd (London) used at Drukkerej Delit, Ukkel.JPG,

Linotype machine The Linotype machine ( ) is a "line casting" machine used in printing; manufactured and sold by the former Mergenthaler Linotype Company and related It was a hot metal typesetting system that cast lines of metal type for individual uses. Lin ...

Bottle filling machine of Poseidon used at F. Hoylaerts in Sint-Genesius-Rode exhibited at La Fonderie, Brussels Museum of Industry and Labour.JPG, Bottle filling machine Manufacture de Pianos J. Oor, Fournisseur de S.A.R Madam la Comtesse de Flandre vente echange location reparation.JPG, Piano maker J. Oor Washing machine by Atelier Menko in Sint-Pieters-Leeuw from 1950 used in Wasserij Ruys, Ukkel.JPG,

Washing machine A washing machine (laundry machine, clothes washer, washer, or simply wash) is a home appliance used to wash laundry. The term is mostly applied to machines that use water as opposed to dry cleaning (which uses alternative cleaning fluids and ...

by Atelier Menko Adding machine by Burroughs (USA) of 1923 used at ETS Windelinckx, Sint-Pieters-Leeuw.jpg,

Adding machine An adding machine is a class of mechanical calculator, usually specialized for bookkeeping calculations. In the United States, the earliest adding machines were usually built to read in dollars and cents. Adding machines were ubiquitous off ...

by Burroughs Wiel's beer glasses at La Fonderie, Brussels Museum of Industry and Labour.JPG, Wiel's beer glasses

References

External links

Museum website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Fonderie, Brussels Museum of Industry and Labour Museums in Brussels Molenbeek-Saint-Jean Industry museums in Belgium Museums with year of establishment missing History of Brussels Labour in Belgium

Exhibits

See also

References

External links