The Textile Machinery Museum is set up in a part of the spinning, preparation, and weaving laboratories of the "V. E. Marzotto" Technical Industrial Institute, whose headquarters was built in 1936 by Count Gaetano Marzotto within the "social city." The space reserved for the Museum features an industrial shed structure, with reinforced concrete columns and beams. The roof is flat with truss beams made of reinforced concrete. Inside, the most characteristic installations include the lift with the basement and the atomization humidification system. The processing of wool, already quite flourishing in the valley from the 14th to 15th century, experienced significant development at the end of the 18th century when the wool merchants of Valdagno obtained permission to manufacture "high cloths." Throughout the 19th century, the company expanded and introduced new technologies, initially relying on the consultancy of foreign technicians and then deciding to train local workers and specialized technicians. This led to the establishment of technical schools of various levels, which since 1936 have found a home, along with the Textile Technical Industrial Institute established in 1942, in the majestic building that Gaetano Marzotto constructed internally. The Textile Machinery Museum began its activities in 1999 and has been completed in the following years with the aim of witnessing the technological progress of a productive sector that has profoundly impacted the city and territory. In the Weaving Room, intended to remain under the School's jurisdiction for educational activities, one can see last-generation looms in operation for both plain and patterned fabrics and compare design and production methods. The Museum, fully integrated into the Museum Network of Alto Vicentino, is a valuable educational resource for schools and can stimulate those curious about the technical-industrial progress and the socio-economic history of this geographical area.
