4.+Textile+Museum

=The Texiles Museum=

The cotton mill "Carlo Ottolini" is one of the first settlements of this type of building founded in Busto Arsizio. The first track of its construction dates back to 1857. On 19th January 1978, the "Bustese" Cotton Mill stopped working because of the backwardness of the production facilities. The "Bustese Industrie Riunite" took over the mill and they are now headquartered in Olgiate Olona. In 1980 the land on which stands the building of the former cotton mill was bought by the municipality. On 30th January 1997, after years of restoration, the City Council of Busto Arsizio officially opened the Museum.

History

 * The foundations, by the Ottolini family, date back to 1887-98
 * In the 1920s it was bought by Antonio Tognella and Carlo Schapira who changed the structure of the building.
 * In 1971 they started to move the factory to Valle Olona.
 * The building was acquired by the town of Busto Arsizio that made several renovations to enlarge and restore the structure of the building and they finished this process in the ‘90s.

Basement
**Spinning and preparation** - The room shows the process of producing cotton. Some old equipment and machinery used for spinning are displayed. **Weaving and finishing** - A weaving machine and some frames that highlight the evolution of this machine
 * Safety** - There are two pieces of anti-hazardous machinery as well as first-aid equipment shown in this room.

First Floor
**Jacquard** – a type of manufacturing - This room is dedicated to the evolution of this type of manufacturing, from the ‘80s to the era of the first computers. **Packaging and shipping** - This section introduces the process of packaging and shipping. Some displays are dedicated to the most important parts of this business. One display is also dedicated to Enrico Dell’Acqua, a pioneer of Busto’s textile industry. **Hands-on experience** - In this room you can try out the textile process. In various parts of the room blind people can use Braille maps. **The archives and library** - The archives/library, available for study or research, host a lot of books on textiles.

Second Floor
**Dying and printing** - This room presents some processes of dying and printing. Other printing machines are shown here. In this section there are also samples to look at and feel.•9. Embroidery and finished local products - Here you can see women’s clothing and lingerie, bed linen, curtains and tablecloths made by hand. **The business section of the textiles industry** - A display shows various objects used in the offices. **New Materials** - The ‘New Materials’ room offers a panoramic view of the history and evolution of new materials used in many areas such as: clothing, medicine, civil and military protection, and sports.