THE MUSEUM OF FOLKLORE FRONTIER LIFE

The folklore museum is named Léon Maes in tribute to this man, a former court clerk and lover of local history, renowned for his dialectological and folkloric research, and his collection of folk songs from Walloon Flanders (420 songs and nursery rhymes). His work on the notions of roots, identity and love of the land led to the creation of the Musée de Folklore. As a result, attics were emptied and old objects, archives and furniture were donated to the museum, which was then able to showcase this folkloric and rural heritage. A variety of objects have been reconstructed: a bedroom, a dairy, a classroom, an estaminet, a grocer's store, craftsmen's stalls... everything that went to make up daily life in Mouscron's golden century, between 1850-1950, when the textile industry boomed and the town became a crossroads for Walloon, Flemish and French cultures. Thematic collections also brighten up your visit: tobacco and fraud, which go hand in hand in a border region, the Saint-Jacques confectionery that made the locals salivate, popular games (so important in estaminets).... Finally, the documentation center offers a wealth of additional information on the history of Mouscron. The gardens are also part of the museum area, and the building won the 2017 Mies van der Rohe architecture prize.