Museum of Industry

Museum of Industry, formerly known as MIAT (Museum of Industrial Archaeology and Textile), is a Ghent institution dedicated to the industrial history of the region, with a particular focus on textile manufacturing — the driving force behind the city's industrial development. The museum sits in the heart of Ghent, close to Vrijdagmarkt, inside a former cotton mill known as the Filature Desmet-Guéquier.

Where is the museum housed?

The current building dates from 1905 and was constructed according to fireproof principles, a critical safety consideration for a factory handling highly flammable cotton. The museum's collection itself began taking shape in 1977, with the institution founded a year earlier, in 1976. Today the Museum of Industry is an official anchor point on the European Route of Industrial Heritage — Ghent was the first city on the European continent, after the United Kingdom, where the industrial revolution truly took hold, at the end of the 18th century.

What can visitors see inside?

The MIAT collection holds more than 30,000 objects. Among its most valuable pieces are a mule jenny spinning machine and a twiner dating from 1789 — both listed on the Flemish government's Masterpiece Decree, a designation reserved for objects of exceptional historical and technical significance.

The museum presents three permanent exhibitions that bring the region's industrial past back to life. In the main exhibition, twelve workers and supervisors — presented through a narrative format — tell the story of how new inventions and pivotal events reshaped their lives over the decades. This storytelling approach lets visitors experience industrialization not just as a history of machines and technology, but as a human story of the people who worked in these factories.

Why is this place worth visiting?

The Museum of Industry offers a rare chance to step inside an authentic former textile mill and understand what daily life looked like for Ghent's industrial workers, at a time when the city was one of the earliest centers of industrialization in continental Europe. The exhibition combines technical heritage — preserved machinery, including unique 18th-century objects — with social history, illustrating how the textile industry shaped the living and working conditions of the city's residents.

For anyone interested in Europe's industrial heritage, this is a must-see destination. As an official stop on the European industrial heritage route, the museum connects Ghent's history to a broader continental story of industrialization.

Frequently asked questions

What is the difference between the Museum of Industry and the former MIAT? They are the same institution — MIAT (Museum of Industrial Archaeology and Textile) is the museum's former name; it now operates as the Museum of Industry.

Where exactly is the museum located? In the center of Ghent, near Vrijdagmarkt square, inside a former cotton mill built in 1905.

What is the museum's most valuable exhibit? A mule jenny spinning machine and a twiner from 1789, both listed on the Flemish Masterpiece Decree.

Is the museum only about textiles? Textiles and cotton production are the central theme, but the exhibition more broadly covers the region's industrial history and the daily life of factory workers.