Musée de la Corderie Vallois, Rouen

The Musée de la Corderie Vallois is France's first "industrial museum in motion," housed in a remarkable 4-story timber-framed building constructed in 1822 on the banks of the Cailly River. Originally a 16th-century paper mill, the site later became a cotton spinning mill before operating as a rope factory from 1880 until 1978. 30-meter waterwheel installed in 1821 that remains operational today.