logo of the museum of Laguiole's knife

Fire & Steel

Mastering those elements gives rise, through the time, to many usefull and craft masterpieces.

Our Museum introduces you a large rare items collection, witnesses of the man kind ingenuity through centuries.

We wish you a pleasant visit.

Video & diaporama

A video which reveals you the Aubrac plate and our blacksmith's work in a magic atmosphere !
To be also seen on our Youtube channel Youtube


Some hand-made pictures for a virtual visit.
We look forward to welcome you in Laguiole !

Museum of the Laguiole's knife, former tools and objects

Museum of the Laguiole's knife

Click to enlarge

Museum of the Laguiole's knife, former tools and objects

Museum of the Laguiole's knife

Click to enlarge

Museum of the Laguiole's knife, former tools and objects

Museum of the Laguiole's knife

Click to enlarge

Museum of the Laguiole's knife, former tools and objects

Museum of the Laguiole's knife

Click to enlarge

Museum of the Laguiole's knife, gouges and working tools of the wood

Museum of the Laguiole's knife

Click to enlarge

Museum of the Laguiole's knife, Laguiole's canteen of cutlery

Museum of the Laguiole's knife

Click to enlarge

Musuem of the Laguiole's knife, former measurement tools and compass

Museum of the Laguiole's knife

Click to enlarge

Museum of Laguiole's knife, firts Laguiole's knives

Museum of the Laguiole's knife

Click to enlarge

Visit

You reach the Museum by Coutellerie de Laguiole Honoré Durand complex, industrial area la Poujade in Laguiole town.

Besides our Museum, discover the workshops (Forge & Cutlers) of our cutlery (free tour). This experience will allow you to understand the history and the manufacturing of a Laguiole knife.

Some afternoons a week, be amazed in front of our blacksmith's work who handles iron and steel in order to create our Damascus steel.

To find your way to the Museum : Aubrac road in the east-north of Laguiole, then enter the industrial area on the right side « la Poujade » (we are not visible from the main road). In front of our building is set up the monumental sculpture of the biggest Laguiole knife in the world (6 meters high)

Museum of Laguiole's knife

Booking & prices

Individual and groups, open all year long.

Our friends the dogs (cats, ...) are welcome in our Museum. Please bring a leash.

Monday to Saturday : from 9 a.m. to noon and from 2 p.m. to 6 p.m.
July and August, 7 days a week : from 9 a.m. to noon and from 2 p.m. to 6 p.m.

Entry :
Individual adult fare : 3.50 euros (offered if you purchase in one of the Coutellerie Honoré Durand stores )
Child under age 12 : free
Group (minimum of 30 people) : free

Curator of the Museum : Honoré Durand

Location :
Aubrac road - Industrial area « la Poujade » - 12210 Laguiole – France
Close to the municipal camping
Phone : +33 (0)5.65.51.23.47

GPS address :
Latitude: 44.6840211 | Longitude: 2.8563970

The Laguiole knife history

A know-how which continues for two centuries.

We write LAGUIOLE and we pronounce "LAYOLE". We kept the old pronunciation, in dialect, in Occitan. It is the reason why we speak about Layole.

The beginning of the 19th century

The Capuchadou

At the beginning of the 19th century, the local knife had for name ' Capuchadou '. It was a fixed and sharp blade handled on a piece of wood. It is the first knife made in Laguiole.

Capuchadou knife

1829

Birth of the knife Laguiole with its half-lock blade *.

This model is very close to the current version we know.
Aubrac is a vast plate with isolated farms where live several families. The elder sons  left making the winter season in Catalonia as pit sawyers.
Some returned on Aubrac with in their pocket a Spanish knife: the navaja.
The knife Laguiole takes it its blade (blade of shape yatagan) and its disentangled handle.

* Knife with half-lock blade or with a lock blade. The Laguiole is a folding knife with a half-lock blade. Opinel is a lock blade knife: a ring allows to keep the blade constantly open. For a Laguiole, the spring is permanently in support on the heel of the blade. When we open the knife, the head of the spring (part where there is a bee) comes to lock itself in the notch of the heel. So, by simple pressure of the blade (we say that one " breaks the knife "), we close the knife. There is no mechanism of lock blade.

1829 - 1880

The punch and the corkscrew

The local production is insured by some craftsmen (often the blacksmiths) and allows to satisfy the demand of the local farmers.
The knife has a very simple line. It is at first a practical and useful tool. He evolves moreover according to the need for his users.
- The punch appears by 1840. It is a tool intended for the breeders to fight the fermentation on the cattle and the ovine races: having ruminated some dry hay in cowshed during winter, they can have the paunch which swells with gases stemming from the fermentation of the fat and wet grass of fields. The punch serves to pierce them the paunch so that the pet lives. This punch was also used as awl to pierce leather strips.
- The corkscrew appears by 1880 : this essential accessory appears further to the emigration in Paris of children from farms to exercise the jobs by coalmen or brasseries.

1880 - 1920/30

The splendor period

Period splendor of the cutlers of Laguiole (workshops with about twenty workers) who produce a quality small business sector (quality crafts). House Calmels and Pagès receives numerous awards in the national competitions.
At the end of the century, in the town of Thiers, power hammers appear, but Laguiole protects itself from any modernization.

1930 - 1987

Beyond Aubrac

The glory of the knife having overtaken the plate of Aubrac, the demand increases.
Because they do not wish to invest in machines, the cutlers of the village are not able to satisfy it . Gradually the manufacturers of cutlery industry on the city of Thiers seize the manufacturing of the knife Laguiole.
A craft prestigious manufacturing remains to Laguiole. It is about a very low scale compared with the massive industrial production of Thiers.

1987 - 2004

Return to basics

In the town of Laguiole, the manufacturing of the knife is relaunched on the initiative of the local elected representatives (more particularly mister Pierre Malet).
From 1985, appear again assembly shops.
In 1988, on the zone of production Laguiole (the North of Aveyron), two forges make the spare parts of Laguiole with a lightning success. In 1981, it did not stay any more in the village than 2 points of sale be only reselling knives made to Thiers.
From 1997, in the zone of production Laguiole, approximately 400 000 Laguiole knives are made.

LEGENDS AND RUMORS

The Laguiole's knife is an everyday object, a journeyman of the everyday life.
Discover the traditions and the rumors which are attached to it.

The cross on the Laguiole handle ?

This is the Shepherd cross

It is of recent appearance, we place it at the end of XIX ° century.
The vast basaltic plate of Aubrac on which is situated Laguiole knows the transhumance of the cattle every May (on Sundays the closer of May 20th) and of October (in the daytime of saint Géraud in October).
In the past, as paths were traveled on foot, it was about a several days expedition.
In our region very marked with catholic religion, the transhumants shepherds crashed the blade of their knife in the bread : the cross served " as oratory " for the prayer (we say that it is the rosary of the shepherds).
It is the reason why you can only find this decoration on one side of the handle.
The oldest Laguiole are most of the time decorated with this cross. But other motives can decorate the handle depend on the customer whishes.

The insect on the spring ?

It's a bee

It is the symbol of the Laguiole
- Our local legend says that it is about the Napoleon 's imperial seal offered to the city of Laguiole in sign of recognition for the bravery in the fight of the men native of our village.
In reality, the first one Laguiole had no decoration. " The bee " was smooth. The motive for the bee seems to appear by 1880 with the customization of Laguiole, at the same time as other motives as for example, the Lys flower, the four-leaf clover, …
According to us, the motive for the bee quickly supplanted the presence of the other motives because a bee is consensual, its symbolism pleases everybody.
- In the cutler language, the fly represents the located metallic exgrowth at the end of spring. On our famous knife Laguiole, the exgrowth represents a motive for bee.
- Remember yourselves that the presence of the bee does not protect you either from the quality or from the origin of your knife.

 Is the bee unique ?

Not necessarily

Always in reference to the former Laguiole (of more than 100 years ago), the bee is not necessarily the only visible motive on Laguiole.
A human face, a four-leaf clover (security of lucky charm), a scallop (in reference to saint Jacques's path which crosses Aubrac), a smooth bee, without drawings, very stylized, …

A Laguiole is to sold and not to offer ?

We are in full superstition.

There is a custom according to which any cutting object does not offer itself at the risk of cutting the friendship - or love! - between the person who receives the knife and the one who offers it.
To beg this evil spell either by tradition, the person receiving a knife Laguiole in present give a coin in a purpose of exchange to the one who offered him the knife.
By discussing with our European customers, this tradition seem identical at all our neighbors ! His origin is a mystery for us …
If you know the origins of this tradition, do not hesitate to contact us.

Native rumors about the Laguiole knife without historic proof

  • -The blade folded up, the top bolster represents a head of whale (it is necessary to look at the knife horizontally, at the bee below).
  • - The knife of Laguiole symbolizes the water with the blade, the earth with the handle and the fire with the bolster in brass.
  • - Notches on the back of the blade represent the daytime of the week.
  • - If we look at the handle of a knife Laguiole formed by two parts, blade and corkscrew, we call the handle "woman leg". If the bolster of bottom is concave, it has the aspect of a shoe with stiletto heel with the feminine calf.

TO CONTACT US

A question, a remark or simply to say hello to us, a form is in your dispositon on this page (opens in a new page or a new tab).
We shall try hard to answer you as soon as possible.
Thank you for your visit.

The Museum is proposed to you by Cutlery & Forge Honoré Durand in Laguiole, Aveyron, France.