Gobelins Tapestry Manufactory

The Gobelins Tapestry Manufactory is a weaving workshop housed in several buildings in Paris's 13th district. Craftspeople work here using traditional hand-weaving methods on wooden looms that have been in use for generations.

A family of dyers originally ran a workshop here, which was later converted into a state-run tapestry factory in 1662 by Jean-Baptiste Colbert. Charles Le Brun was appointed as the first director and set the artistic direction for the enterprise.

The name comes from a family of dyers whose workshop once occupied this site in the Middle Ages before the manufactory emerged. Today visitors can witness how the place remains a hub of craft practice where age-old techniques continue to be passed down.

The site is located on Avenue des Gobelins and is only accessible to visitors through guided tours offered on certain days. It helps to check ahead and arrange a time in advance so you can watch the craftspeople at work.

The gallery displays rotating exhibitions of tapestries and furniture from the national furniture collection in a building designed by Auguste Perret in 1937. This modernist building provides an intriguing contrast to the craft traditions of the place.