Research

Artists at the MOTIn the 19th and 20th centuries, many painters took to the outdoors with their easel to immortalize landscapes and buildings on canvas. Grimbergen was very accessible to painters and tourists from Brussels: there was a good tram connection, there were numerous inns and they found the peace that they lacked in the city. From this period dates a rich collection of Grimberg landscape paintings. You can read about them in the book "Grimbergen in de kunst" (1992).The municipality of Grimbergen owns many paintings that depict the Grimbergen landscape and its architectural heritage. Others can be found in private collections. Various reproductions of these paintings were exhibited in the Oyenbrugmolen in the summer of 2018. A year later, paintings of the Prince's Castle were exhibited in the keep. This was the reason for the MOT to photograph those works of art on which the buildings of the museum are depicted. After all, they do not only have an art value, but also a great...

The MOT library As well as technical objects, the MOT also systematically collects documentation in its own scientific library. Our library now contains around 40,000 books, journals, articles, and CD-ROMs, and is being added to further all the time. It is one of the richest collections of technical books in the country. All titles of both books and articles are systematically indexed by keyword. We keep numerous old and recent manuals from every possible trade and sector. We also have thousands of historical books and journals about the history of technology, and a range of technical encyclopaedias, containing valuable pictorial material. The library also contains technical and historical dictionaries. Our extensive collection of trade catalogues allows you to find out about the appearance, material, price or brand of all kinds of goods. You can consult much of it online here. If you would like to use our library you will find full details on the next page.

Broeck 22, Bever, Belgium

About us The MOT is short for "Museum voor de Oudere Technieken" or "Museum of Old Techniques". A lot of these so called "old" techniques are coming back into fashion. Low tech is back and here to stay. We try all we can to help this revival.

Mission The MOT’s aim is to help understanding of the past and present of humanity, here and elsewhere, by giving a realistic picture of the origin and evolution of techniques and of their impact on everyday life and on the environment.  The underlying vision Past and present The MOT studies ‘older’ techniques, that is to say, not only the techniques of the past, but also those of today. Man is continually thinking up new tools. The latest form of tools also have their place in our collection, which is unique in that respect. Here and elsewhere The Museum wants to study the techniques not only of this region, this country, or this culture. We deliberately work at an international and intercultural level to be able to give a global picture of the wealth of techniques in different cultures. By learning to know, compare and understand the techniques of others, we help to put cultural differences in relation to each other.  The techniques Like some other institutions, the MOT has the task...

Project Bulskampveld Registration and rating of the artisan subcollection in Bulskampveld In 2015-2016 the MOT worked together with the province of West Flanders on the registration of the artisan part of the collection in Bulskampveld. The province called upon the MOT’s expertise for the scientific identification of the extensive collection of tools. The collection had not yet been thoroughly registered and was mostly unavailable for the general public. Every object was photographed, measured and entered into the database by the provincial collectionregistrator. Based on that information, the MOT was able to provide the identification, the description, the rating and an announcement of the object on www.erfgoedinzicht.be. Approximately 6700 objects were registered during the project, making up about 80 percent of the entire collection. Each object was given an extensive description of its shape, function and use. The objects belong to 55 different trades, which illustrates how varied...

The MOT's collection What do we collect and preserve? The MOT’s collection of objects consists mainly of hand tools. We have deliberately not confined ourselves to acquiring specialised hand tools or beautifully decorated objects. Our aim is to build up a representative collection of tools that are actually used by men and women. We also collect the technical equipment associated with different trades or users, such as containers of all kinds, furniture (workbenches, lathes, carding stool etc.), ropes, workwear and measuring tools. To illustrate the importance of technology in everyday life, vehicles and household goods are also preserved, such as stoves, lighting fixtures, textiles and kitchenware. The MOT collection is not confined to a specific period, theme or place. It is an extensive and varied collection of technical objects ranging from the remote past, including in the form of archaeological finds, to the present day. We acquire both old and new pieces without restriction as...