'Centre Touristique de la Laine et de la Mode', more than a museum

This beautiful museum shows the history of wool in the city in a pleasant and interactive way. It is located in the old De Thier-Betonville factory.

The current buildings date from the beginning of the 19th century. In addition to the factory buildings for spinning wool and weaving cloth, the building also housed the family's mansion. Adjacent to it, a large garden was laid out that not only provided relaxation but also functioned as a status symbol when receiving distinguished guests and business relations.

The exterior of the family home on the street side, with its typical neoclassical appearance, is an explicit expression of the spirit of the Enlightenment in Verviers. The owner was a member of the Masonic lodge 'Les Philadelphes'. When we stand in the courtyard, we immediately notice the L-shape of the imposing factory. We imagine today's factories as a single storey, but at the beginning of the industrial era, factories were mainly built in height, long and rather narrow. One of the reasons for this was the technological limitation of efficiently transferring the energy produced by water mills or steam engines to the textile machines. Flywheels were driven from a kind of driving mill, cogwheels ensured the correct dosage of speed and the movements were transferred to the machines via leather belts. Such construction proved to be easier to achieve vertically than horizontally, even through the ceilings.

It is therefore not surprising that the load-bearing walls and the work floor on the various floors had to be very sturdy to support the machines. As soon as the technique of using iron improved, the heavy wooden trusses were replaced by cast-iron constructions. The floors mostly remained made of wood because this somewhat absorbed the vibrations of the machines.

The depth is limited, not only because only a limited number of machines could be placed next to each other due to the distribution of energy, but mainly because the natural light that entered the workspace through numerous windows was used. For a wider space, longer beams and support pillars would have been needed. Longer wooden beams were almost unavailable and support pillars were a hindrance in the open space.

If you look for a while, you can find a head of a ram at the back of the residential complex, which has been ravaged by time. This was the symbol of the textile industry. You will see it not only in the factories, but also in public buildings and on monuments.

Jan Rymenams