Mouzon

Mouzon preserves a heritage inherited from its role as a border town and its industrial vocation related to wool felt.

Located at the gates of Lorraine, Belgium, and Luxembourg, the Ardennes city takes its name from Mosomagus, "market on the Meuse" in Celtic.

Since the 10^th century, a powerful Benedictine abbey invigorates the city for nearly four centuries. Its abbey church (12^th and 13^th centuries) is a masterpiece of the early Gothic age. Then, defensive buildings follow one after another. From the first stone enclosure, only the remarkable Burgundy Gate Tower (12^th century) remains. The city is besieged several times before the Treaty of the Pyrenees (1659) moves national defenses further north and the fortifications of Mouzon are dismantled (1673). Industry then develops: tanneries and mills, textiles and metallurgy. In 1783, a first wheat mill is transformed into a milling facility, and then Alfred Sommer founded the Mouzon factory in 1881, which shifted its production towards felt. Mouzon then became one of the most important felt manufacturers in Europe. This know-how has continued to evolve and is now discovered at the Felt Museum-workshop. Mouzon has retained a certain spirit, a character that is felt when wandering through its streets, sailing on the Meuse… or plunging hands into wool.

VIDEO

- Mouzon, city of felt

guided tours

• Guided tour of the abbey church, the city, and its fortifications year-round by appointment.
• Guided tours of the Felt Museum-workshop from April to October.
• May 11 at 9:40 a.m.: tour Character Sunday "Going Up the Course of the Meuse"

not to be missed

• Days of Arts and Crafts (April)
• Night of Museums (May)
• Garden Encounters (June)
• June 15: "Mouzon of Earth & Fire" artisan market
• In summer: concert, organ recital at the abbey
• Heritage Days (September)
• Every 4^th Friday of the month: Local Producers Market

the essentials

• The Felt Museum-workshop
• The abbey church, the former abbey and its gardens
• The Burgundy Gate Tower
• The heritage discovery circuit, the 1910 route, the comic book route and the fortifications circuit (brochures available at the Tourist Office)
• The cycling route along the Meuse

nearby

• The Sedan fortress
• EuroVelo 19 - The Meuse by Bike
• Marville, Small Town of Character
• The Gallo-Roman site of Flavier

contact

Tourist Office of the Gates of Luxembourg
Felt Museum-workshop
Tel.: 03 24 29 79 91
www.portesduluxembourg.fr

Town Hall
Tel.: 03 24 26 10 63
www.mouzon.fr

to download

- Brochure Discovering the Heritage of Mouzon (.pdf)

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