Belgium much more than just Beer, Waffles & Chocolate
Gent has a rich tradition of Textiles and Art. The hotel we were staying in overlooking the canal is from a time when this city was the center of the textile Industry in Belgium. There were once 12 Factories here producing textiles, now there are only Museums, and lots of wool shops.
Old Photo of Gent River Hotel
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The Textile Museum (MIAT)
The Museum of Industry, Work and Textiles (MIAT) may not immediately grab your attention, but like most things in Gent it was a pleasant surprise and was one of the highlights of the trip.
Six Genearations of Working and Living
Laid out over three floors you first experience, the lifestyle changes as a consequence of the Industrial revolution and contemplate the changes that are yet to come.
Google Translate to the Rescue
Clocks
How did clocks change peoples daily lives? It had never occurred to me how much these little innocent items we wear around our wrists and hang on our walls had enslaved us.
Equal Pay
Google to the rescue again. I would have missed so much if I had not Google Translate on this trip.
Through the Ages
Innovations of the 20th century.
Modern Appliances
The Printing Department
The printing press is one of the contenders for the most important inventions in history. It drastically changed the way society evolved. A section of the museum is dedicated to different forms of the Printing press. Wood and metal hand presses used from the 18th century onwards. We learnt about litography and more modern priting techniques such as linotype. I did not know much about printing before I came here but you could see the different methods in practice.
@ishtar taking a break to watch a short movie in a recreated cinema from times past complete with piano.
Textiles and Cotton Noise
On the second floor was the textile exhibition.
This room showed how cotton goes from farm to Spinning Reel
It got really interesting when we started looking at the different materials for textiles; cotton, wool and linen.
Water was always scarce in Gent which meant people only washed their clothes once a year. This led to print patterns for clothes becoming popular and the traditional prints on clothes don't last with washing.
Other Types of Materials
There was a section focusing on different types of materials and their uses, from swimming trunks to astronauts suits. I never knew there was so much science i clothes.
Cotton will be gone in 10 years!
The lady working in the museum gave some stark news to us. Cotton will be gone in 10 years due to climate change. Interestingly she pointed out we will be using milk and cow dung for clothes. Today the Dutch are the leaders in developing clothes made with cellulose.
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The museum was very well laid out and there were a few women working there (hand making fabrics) who took a break to give us a tour of various aspects of the factory. We even got to leave a Surprise on one of the Printing Presses.
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Wow looks like you had a sick trip. I have never been to Belgium but have always wanted to go. That's crazy that you can use google translate like that. All you need to do is snap a photo with the app and it will translate it for you. Is that correct?
Pretty much. Obviously it works better for some stuff than for others and the grammar is not perfect but it worked great for us. I hadnt used it in years and I couldn't believe how far it has come.
I did a post a few days ago about it with a few more photos.
https://steemit.com/travel/@eroche/how-to-read-a-foreign-language
Absolutely loving the last photo, it should be a pleasant surprise for those who actually checked out what is Steemit :)
I wonder did anyone sign up after seeing it :) We left it like that in the box.
If they did, they would be very thankful :)
Very well written post and a very interesting museum! It is a good place to learn about the past and to think about the future.
It certainly got me thinking about the future and how little things we take for granted can have such an influence on out lives.
Yes, I think that we can learn a lot from the past if we are willing to listen! Many mistakes have already been made, it is just stupid to do them again!
The last picture is just epic :)
I am going to get a tshirt made with that photo :)
yeah that will be awesome
Another fantastic post. I really liked your use of your phone and Google to handle the language barrier during your trip which I haven't tried yet during my own travels.
I didn't know cotton could be gone in 10 years. I always thought of it as a hardier crop that thrives in warmer climates like tropical and sub-tropical regions.
According to the lady at the museum, its only a matter of time.
Doing some googling on it it seems that its a mixed bag and it depends on where you are. But it doesn't surprise me that natural fibres will be in decline.
Yes, I can see that see that being true. Temperature increases might make some areas inhospitable for growing cotton. However, it might just reduce the yield in others but also might enable some areas able to grow cotton.
i was amazed at the last picture
makes me look twice..
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I am a simple Belgian, I see Belgium, I upvote! Nice post, great photos!
Great post!
Thank you so much.
Amazing photo @eroche . I like it so much it appears marvelous. You got the best shot with clear color and no blur. Angle and full skills of technique. I think you have fancy camera for capturing it. Well done and Good work ! You deserve to get two thumbs for this picture. Visit my blog. Let's wall to wall, i have many latest post on blog. I hope you like it
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