MUSEUM OF PRINTING AND GRAPHIC COMMUNICATION

Lyon may be known as the capital of gastronomy, but it's less well known that the capital of Gaul was also one of Europe's printing capitals during the Renaissance. By the end of the ^15th century, Lyon was producing a third of all French editions, and by 1520, documents attest to the existence of 80 printing works in the city! Lyon, long a stronghold of the printing industry, pays tribute to this rich heritage at the Musée de l'Imprimerie. Housed in the superb Hôtel de la Couronne, a ^15th-century house where some of the greatest pages in Lyon's history were written, this remarkable museum was the brainchild of Maurice Audin, son of a great Lyon printer, and Henri-Jean Martin, chief curator of Lyon's libraries. Since its opening in 1964, the Musée de l'Imprimerie's impressive collections have provided the public with an educational (and even interactive, with graphic arts workshops) insight into the evolution of printing and graphic techniques. The permanent exhibition is a treasure trove of rare works, including a leaf from the famous Gutenberg Bible of 1450. The precious reserve contains more than 1,000 works that, in their own way, marked the history of printing up to the ^19th century. Prints, ephemera, printing matrices and other graphic materials are also on display. In this dynamic setting, young and old alike will be amazed to discover a real printing workshop in operation, or to take part in workshops to better understand the challenges of printing. Another part of the museum hosts temporary exhibitions. A museum that preserves a part of Lyon's soul.