Textile Industry Museum of the Ave Basin

Category: Civil Architecture > Museum

District: Braga > Vila Nova de Famalicão > Calendário > Outeiro

Location

The Ave Basin Textile Industry Museum is located in the town of Calendário, within the urbanization or area known as Outeiro, in the municipality of Vila Nova de Famalicão.

It is housed in a place with industrial history, occupying the old warehouses of the Wool Spinning and Weaving Factory "A Lanifícia do Outeiro", a construction dating from the 1950s and notable for its industrial architecture, particularly its 'sawtooth' roofs.

The Region's Textile Memory

This museum is dedicated to preserving and disseminating the rich history of the textile industry in the Ave Basin, a geographical area that played a central role in Portugal's industrialization process, especially in the 19th century.

It is a unique institution in the North of the country, specifically focused on this sector, and seeks to safeguard the historical memory associated with textile production, contributing to a greater understanding and appreciation of this cultural and economic heritage.

The Journey Through the Production Process

A visit to the museum offers an immersive journey through the evolution of textile production. The museum space, covering approximately 1200m², presents a diverse collection of machines, instruments, and objects that illustrate the different stages of manufacturing, from fiber preparation to fabric finishing.

The collection, mostly from donations by old textile factories in the region, includes notable pieces such as looms, warping machines, and calenders, which allow visitors to understand the complexities of spinning, weaving, and finishing, simulating the layout of a traditional textile unit and revealing the ingenuity behind the production.

Historical Origins of the Industry

The museum's foundation in 1987 resulted from an industrial archaeology research project by the University of Minho, focused on studying the industrialization of the Ave Basin. The region benefited from an abundance of water and labor, becoming a textile hub of great importance.

The development of modern industry was gradual, initially coexisting with domestic manual production. The hydraulic energy of the Ave rivers and tributaries was fundamental, later complemented by the steam engine. Portugal's entry into international markets in the mid-20th century boosted technological and organizational modernization in the sector.

License: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/deed.pt