The blacksmith, master of iron and fire
Metal has been part of our lives since prehistory. But who was the master manipulator of iron and fire? Who made swords and axes? Who provided locks for doors and latches for windows?
This exhibition portrays the life and work of the village blacksmith, a figure who today has almost completely disappeared.
The blacksmith?
The figure of the blacksmith may be familiar to children from comic books or films, but what exactly he did or how important he was in the village community is something most of us are a little uncertain about. A separate exhibition devoted to the blacksmith’s work is therefore definitely worthwhile. Pretty much everything that was made of iron passed through the village blacksmith’s hands – and before the advent of plastic, that meant a lot of things.
Roll up your sleeves!
The MOT proves once again that it is a child-friendly museum. The presentation is completely tailored to kids. Especially for their benefit, the exhibition is made up of hands-on activities. There are no long, boring texts to read: instead, they learn things by having a go themselves. They go ‘underground’ in search of iron ore, do loads of experiments to work out what iron’s characteristics are and discover how hard it is to create a finished product from pig iron. From now on, visiting a museum involves a spot of hard work, so roll up your sleeves and get started.
Kids can go on a treasure hunt with Molly the moth.
Info
Translation of texts in French and English.
