Take Five Shoe Museums

Sun Herald

Sunday July 30, 2006

BRIAR JENSEN

1 The Bata Shoe Museum, Toronto, Canada

Sonja Bata started collecting shoes and footwear memorabilia in the 1940s. In 1979, when the collection outgrew her private space, she established the Bata Shoe Museum Foundation and in 1995 it opened a purpose-built, award-winning museum. A permanent exhibit covers footwear through the ages, while three themed exhibits change regularly. Shoes cover 4500 years, from ancient Egyptian sandals to present-day celebrity shoes. There are also large collections of North American Indian footwear and Chinese lotus shoes. A gift shop sells shoe-themed items, from scarves to books. See www.batashoemuseum.ca.

2 Boot and Shoe Collection, Northampton, England

Did you know that hiding a shoe in the wall of your house is supposed to ward off evil? This collection includes an index of concealed shoes found in buildings. Housed in the Northampton Museum and Art Gallery, located in the heart of England's shoe making district, the Boot and Shoe Collection includes more than 12,000 shoes as well as footwear accessories, documentation, artworks and historic tools and machinery. There's also a gift shop. See www.northampton.gov.uk/museums.

3 Museo Salvatore Ferragamo, Florence, Italy

Opened in 1995, the museum celebrates Salvatore Ferragamo's role in footwear design between the late 1920s and his death in 1960. Ferragamo is famous for his use of alternative materials and innovative designs like the cork wedge. Often called "shoemaker to the stars", he designed shoes for the likes of Greta Garbo, Marilyn Monroe and Sophia Lauren. Although free, bookings are required. Closing at the end of July, it will reopen on November 30. See www.salvatoreferragamo.it.

4 Musee International de la Chaussure, Romans, France

Leatherwork and shoemaking have been the lifeblood of this region for five centuries and the museum's 13,000 items trace the processing of leather as well as shoe manufacturing. The collection spans 4000 years and five continents, from mummified Egyptian feet to the work of designers such as Perugiaand Vivier. There are footwear factory outlets nearby, including Robert Clergerie, Stephane Kelian and Charles Jourdan. See www.ville-romans.com.

5 Deutsches Schuhmuseum, Offenbach, Germany

This German Shoe Museum is housed in the Leather Museum, which was opened in 1917. More than 15,000 artefacts include boot amulets and shoe-shaped containers. A recent acquisition is the reconstructed mountain shoes of the Oetz Valley mummy. These 5000-year-old sewn leather mules feature a fibre lining filled with hay for warmth. An art gallery explores the themes of "fetishism" and "sexual symbolism". See www.ledermuseum.de.

© 2006 Sun Herald

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