Lyon silk trade

Stay : Montluel
Visited: Lyon
After a few heated games of table tennis and a BBQ lunch we went to visit a different part of Lyon we had not seen before.

Lyon is very well positioned for trade with both the Rhone and the Soane rivers running through it. The silk industry was established in 1466 and by 1620 there were more than 10,000 silk looms in Lyon. The industry was nearly wiped out after the French revolution but with industrialisation it reached its peak in the 19th century. We went to visit a museum in the Croix-Rousse district and found out a bit about how the silk was made and the looms they worked with. It could take up to 3 months just to setup a loom before even starting on the weaving of the fabric.  It could take 8 hours just to make 30cm of fabric! The weavers would work 12-15 hour days and it could take them 2 years to complete. The architecture is quite differnt here as the buildings in this area were specifically built to fit the 4m high looms and the large windows to allow enough light. We were then taken on a tour of the Traboules which were created to help the transport of the silk from the manufacturers to the buyers. The silk was made at the top of the hill so the continuous passageways through the various buildings were an efficient and safe way to move the silk. It was a very interesting visit.

This 'picture' is actually woven silk!

It usually takes 3 months to set up a loom before even starting on making the cloth 

It can take 2 years to make s length of cloth at 30cm per 8 hours

It takes 110cm of cardboard pattern to make 40cm of fabric

Here is the drawing of a pattern, the cardboard equivalent and the actual cloth made.

One metre of this cloth could fetch between €10,000 to €25,000 due to the gold thread used

The traboule tour

This stair case was outside but most were covered

The style of building for the weaving looms

At closer inspection you can see the silk worms on the mulberry branches. This was on the building were the cloths of silk were 'dried' for 24 hours as silk can hold water and thus effect it's weight and the end sale price.

A traboule doorway. Most are not marked as such to stop too many tourists wandering through.

Saw this on the side of a building.

View of the Rhone river and Lyon