The exhibition trails

Does the accordion make your hair stand on end? Come and make up your own mind by immersing yourself in this trail.

Discover the instrument, how it works, and the secrets behind its making and its history – this is the ambition of the accordion trail.

From the fashionable instrument of the most elegant Parisian salons to the popular accordion that set the whole of France dancing. The accordion trail takes you back through the history of an iconic instrument rich in color and character. Instruments, record sleeves, photographs, sheet music, and stage costumes invite you to step into this unique world.

At the heart of this trail, the Cayla shop, a Parisian music store run by Martin Cayla, cabrettaire (player of a wind instrument of traditional Auvergne – French region – music) and music publisher – transports the visitors into a singular and unique atmosphere, as if time had stood still in this emblematic haven for accordion lovers. Filled with furniture, posters, music sheets, instruments, and records the Cayla shop forms a monumental and spectacular installation.

To understand better the technical specificities of the instrument, the exhibition encourages experimentation, hand-on interaction, and play.

To experience the accordion in full immersion, surprises await you along the way.

This trail unfolds a collection of pieces retracing the history of the Poinct de Tulle lace, from past to present. Belonging to the family of hand-made, needle-crafted laces, Poinct de Tulle is a local art practiced since the 17th century. Unlike tulle – which is a light, airy fabric produced mechanically and industrially – Poinct of Tulle is entirely handmade using traditional techniques.

This trail offers to visitors’ exceptional emblematic pieces of the earliest productions in Poinct de Tulle, at the time booming. Though few in numbers, they are nonetheless spectacular. Some incomplete pieces are precious milestones in the transmission of this craftsmanship to the present day.

Poinct de Tulle is a living art. Since 2017, the museum has developed acquisition of works or pieces created by artists residing at the Cour des Arts incorporating Poinct de Tulle in their creation. Whether by visual artists or fashion designers, these works highlight the creative vitality surrounding this lace-making expertise.

Take up the net!

Samples to touch, video demonstrating the techniques, a loom available for use, and an interactive station: discover the stages of creating Poinct de Tulle lace and try this unique craftsmanship.

From 1690 to 2006, the city of Tulle lived to the rhythm of its arms factory. Since the end of the 17th century, arms production was the main driver of the city’s economic and demographic growth. The history of the factory is above all a human story – that of the men and women known as the Nez-noirs (factory workers), who worked within the factory.

Three centuries of production have left behind a rich industrial and working-class heritage, including weapons, tools, machinery, and archives. This trail showcases both the factory’s output and the objects that bear witness to the lives of those who worked there – from workers, engineers from apprenticeship to retirement – who formed the beating heart of the institution.