Name: Mattelon Silk Workshop
Telephone: 0651260932
Price range: Adult: 6 to 10 € Teenager (10-16 years): 3 to 5 €. Free entry for children < 10 years.

Only in Lyon! Visit the hand loom family factory of Georges Mattelon, the famous master weaver. In this historic building, you’ll discover the story and history behind the silk and weaving industry in the Croix-Rousse district, from 1854 up to the present day.

Last updated date : 20/07/2024

Open by appointment only: 9 AM-5 PM. Closed in Aug.

Mattelon Silk Workshop 10 rue Richan - 69004 Lyon 4ème

This is Lyon's last family-run silk-weaving workshop, a vestige of its cottage silk industry.
It remained in operation until 1996 and was fully conserved by its owner, the master silk-weaver Georges Mattelon, who gave guided tours of the workshop with the help of the association Soierie Vivante until his death in 2004.
His son, Jacques Mattelon, took over the reins of the workshop, which has been a protected Historical Monument since 1996. It is of great interest for the history of silk-weaving techniques (with handlooms on the second floor and mechanical looms on the ground floor) and the silk-weaving industry in the nineteenth century.
It is depicted on the Mur des Canuts mural in Croix-Rousse and has been reproduced as a miniature model at the Musée Miniature et Cinéma in Vieux-Lyon.
The workshop collaborates with the association L’Esprit Canut and a handful of artisans work to restore it and keep it operational.
Visits include a silk-weaving demonstration on original looms, with explanations of the techniques used, as well as a presentation of the various looms owned by La Fabrique des Soies and a brief introduction of the history of the workshop and Lyon's silk industry.