The Community of Maniago recognises in the history of its knifemakers the distinctive trait of its identity: the Museum is the place where the community can

mirror itself and reflect in order to get to know itself and the territory where it is rooted (…) a mirror that a community shows to its guests in order to be better understood in respect of its activities, its behaviour and its intimacy.

G. H. Rivière, 1989

The Museum of Blacksmiths’ Art and Cutlery is located in a landmark of Maniago’s manufacturing history: Co.Ri.Ca.Ma. (United Knives Factories of Caslino and Maniago), a large industrial plant that began its activity in 1907.

In a town marked by small family-run workshops, one in every house or courtyard, this factory employed hundreds of workers until 1972, when it closed. The municipality eventually purchased and restored the building, and in 2009 it became the Museum’s natural home, hosting a fascinating and effective exhibition that traces the origins and development of local and industrial production of cutting tools.