In the centre of Ghent, just a stone’s throw from the Vrijdagmarkt, the Museum of Industry is located in an impressive factory building. In the former cotton mill – you can still smell the machine oil! – major and minor stories out of the eventful history of industry are brought to life. Various generations of entrepreneurs, merchants and labourers sweep you along in a universal story about people and machines, and how they changed the world round us. The Museum of Industry’s surprisingly diverse collection with international appeal piques visitors’ curiosity. Evocative images, historical films, notable objects and gripping tales make the industrial past come to life; from a colossal steam machine to old advertisements, to the story of a labourer living in a humble factory-provided workman’s dwelling.