factory A factory, manufacturing plant or production plant is an industrial facility, often a complex consisting of several buildings filled with machinery, where workers manufacture items or operate machines which process each item into another. Th ...

drop Drop, DROP, drops or DROPS may refer to: * Drop (liquid) or droplet, a small volume of liquid ** Eye drops, saline (sometimes mydriatic) drops used as medication for the eyes * Drop (unit), a unit of measure of volume * Falling (physics), allowing ...

forging Forging is a manufacturing process involving the shaping of metal using localized compression (physics), compressive forces. The blows are delivered with a hammer (often a power hammer) or a die (manufacturing), die. Forging is often classif ...

Vallée des Usines The Vallée des Usines (lit. French for Valley of Factories) is the name given to part of the Durolle valley, mainly located in the Communes of France, commune of Thiers, Puy-de-Dôme, Thiers in the Departments of France, French department of Pu ...

French department In the administrative divisions of France, the department (, ) is one of the three levels of government under the national level (" territorial collectivities"), between the administrative regions and the communes. There are a total of 101 ...

Puy-de-Dôme Puy-de-Dôme (; or ''lo Puèi Domat'') is a department in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region in the centre of France. In 2021, it had a population of 662,285.Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region. The site under consideration was initially a mill in the 15th century, later transitioning into a

paper mill A paper mill is a factory devoted to making paper from vegetable fibres such as wood pulp, old rags, and other ingredients. Prior to the invention and adoption of the Fourdrinier machine and other types of paper machine that use an endless belt ...

and

sawmill A sawmill (saw mill, saw-mill) or lumber mill is a facility where logging, logs are cut into lumber. Modern sawmills use a motorized saw to cut logs lengthwise to make long pieces, and crosswise to length depending on standard or custom sizes ...

, and eventually becoming home to a cutlery company that also operated at the nearby and in additional workshops. However, the factory closed abruptly in 1984, leaving its interior workshops frozen in time, due to fierce competition from Asian markets and the progressive relocation of valley industries to more accessible plains near highway exits. This abrupt closure occurred in close temporal proximity to the shutdown of the nearby Creux de l'Enfer factory, and it occurred just a few years after the site's purchase by the Thiers town council. The town council had initially planned to rehabilitate the site as an extension of the Museum of Cutlery. However, this project was ultimately abandoned in favor of focusing on the May factory and the

Vallée des Rouets The Vallée des Rouets (, “Valley of Mills”) is a part of the valley of the river Durolle, principally situated on the land of Thiers, Puy-de-Dôme, Thiers, in the Departments of France, French department of Puy-de-Dôme in the Auvergne-Rhône- ...

. The factory is located in the

Vallée des Usines The Vallée des Usines (lit. French for Valley of Factories) is the name given to part of the Durolle valley, mainly located in the Communes of France, commune of Thiers, Puy-de-Dôme, Thiers in the Departments of France, French department of Pu ...

, where the Durolle River's gorges are at their narrowest. This location has been the subject of several redevelopment projects, and some neighboring sites have already been repurposed. These include the Creux de l'Enfer, which has been converted into a contemporary art center, and the May factory, used for temporary

exhibitions An exhibition, in the most general sense, is an organized presentation and display of a selection of items. In practice, exhibitions usually occur within a cultural or educational setting such as a museum, art gallery, park, library, exhibition ...

and

conferences A conference is a meeting, often lasting a few days, which is organized on a particular subject, or to bring together people who have a common interest. Conferences can be used as a form of group decision-making, although discussion, not always d ...

. The Forges Mondière was designated a historical monument in 2002, a designation shared with the May factory.

Location

The building is located in the French department of

Puy-de-Dôme Puy-de-Dôme (; or ''lo Puèi Domat'') is a department in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region in the centre of France. In 2021, it had a population of 662,285.Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes (; AURA) or ; or ; . is a Regions of France, region in southeast-central France created by the 2014 territorial reform of French regions; it resulted from the merger of Auvergne and Rhône-Alpes. The new region came into e ...

region, within the commune of Thiers. Situated in the

Vallée des Usines The Vallée des Usines (lit. French for Valley of Factories) is the name given to part of the Durolle valley, mainly located in the Communes of France, commune of Thiers, Puy-de-Dôme, Thiers in the Departments of France, French department of Pu ...

, the building is constructed within the minor bed of the

Durolle The Durolle (formerly ''Dorole'') is a 32-kilometer-long French Riviera, French river in the Departments of France, departments of Loire (department), Loire and Puy-de-Dôme, in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region. A right-bank tributary of the Do ...

River. Moreover, the factory is adjacent to a former annex of the upstream and the downstream. File:ForgesMondière.jpg, Main factory entrance, taken from the footbridge. File:Forge Mondière à Thiers.JPG, The factory roof seen from a footpath. The May factory is in the background on the right.

General overview

History

Origins of cutlery in the valley

Since the

Middle Ages In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the 5th to the late 15th centuries, similarly to the post-classical period of global history. It began with the fall of the Western Roman Empire and ...

, the hydraulic power of the

Durolle The Durolle (formerly ''Dorole'') is a 32-kilometer-long French Riviera, French river in the Departments of France, departments of Loire (department), Loire and Puy-de-Dôme, in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region. A right-bank tributary of the Do ...

River has been harnessed in Thiers to operate a variety of industrial mills, including flour mills, tanners' fulling mills, papermakers' hammers, and, subsequently,

cutlery Cutlery (also referred to as silverware, flatware, or tableware) includes any hand implement used in preparing, serving, and especially eating food in Western culture. A person who makes or sells cutlery is called a cutler. While most cutlers ...

,

forge A forge is a type of hearth used for heating metals, or the workplace (smithy) where such a hearth is located. The forge is used by the smith to heat a piece of metal to a temperature at which it becomes easier to shape by forging, or to the ...

, and

grinding wheel Grinding wheels are wheels that contain abrasive compounds for grinding and abrasive machining operations. Such wheels are also used in grinding machines. The wheels are generally made with composite material. This consists of coarse-parti ...

manufacturing facilities. By the 15th century, cutlery production accounted for one-quarter of Thiers' employment. During the 17th century, the valley's products were exported to various countries, including Spain, Italy, Germany, Turkey, and India, reflecting the global reach of the cutlery industry. Legrand d'Aussy remarked in his 1788 book ''Voyage en Auvergne'' that Thiers industrialists were effectively competing against their English counterparts, even in

India India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area; the List of countries by population (United Nations), most populous country since ...

.

Origins of the factory

First grinding mill

According to

Gregory of Tours Gregory of Tours (born ; 30 November – 17 November 594 AD) was a Gallo-Roman historian and Bishop of Tours during the Merovingian period and is known as the "father of French history". He was a prelate in the Merovingian kingdom, encom ...

, Saint Genesius, a martyr, was decapitated on a rock in the

Durolle The Durolle (formerly ''Dorole'') is a 32-kilometer-long French Riviera, French river in the Departments of France, departments of Loire (department), Loire and Puy-de-Dôme, in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region. A right-bank tributary of the Do ...

Valley, which was subsequently referred to as the "Rock of Hell." A grinding mill was documented as being established at the foot of this rock as early as 1476. This mill, which would later become the , was soon followed by another mill constructed on the current site of the Forges Mondière.

Paper mill

The factory underwent a transformation into a

paper mill A paper mill is a factory devoted to making paper from vegetable fibres such as wood pulp, old rags, and other ingredients. Prior to the invention and adoption of the Fourdrinier machine and other types of paper machine that use an endless belt ...

at the conclusion of the 16th century, achieving its zenith during the 18th century. A comprehensive overview of the paper industry during this period is provided by the industrial statistics compiled by the Thiers town council in the 19th century. The commune's industrial infrastructure comprised approximately 20 establishments, collectively employing around 800 workers. The Forges Mondière's primary product was writing paper, predominantly utilized by government ministry offices. The narrowness of the Durolle gorges led to the relatively small size of the factory, which often collaborated with other paper mills in the valley to fulfill large orders. This cooperation established Thiers' papermakers as key suppliers to the state, which required certain papers to be made by hand using traditional methods. While this demand initially ensured the papermakers' prosperity, it later hindered their modernization efforts. The limited scale of the factories and the constrained

waterwheel A water wheel is a machine for converting the kinetic energy of flowing or falling water into useful forms of power, often in a watermill. A water wheel consists of a large wheel (usually constructed from wood or metal), with numerous blade ...

capacity further compounded the challenges, impeding the adoption of more sophisticated machinery. Consequently, Thiers experienced a decline in competitiveness, ultimately leading to the permanent closure of the paper mill at the Forges Mondière site in the mid-19th century.

Sawmill and cutlery production

Following the closure of the paper mill in the 1880s, the premises underwent a transition in function, becoming a site for cutlery production, a practice that was soon accompanied by the establishment of a

sawmill A sawmill (saw mill, saw-mill) or lumber mill is a facility where logging, logs are cut into lumber. Modern sawmills use a motorized saw to cut logs lengthwise to make long pieces, and crosswise to length depending on standard or custom sizes ...

. The timber-framed walls of this period still stand as a testament to this era. By 1901, the

factory A factory, manufacturing plant or production plant is an industrial facility, often a complex consisting of several buildings filled with machinery, where workers manufacture items or operate machines which process each item into another. Th ...

had undergone a comprehensive conversion, becoming a specialized forge focused on knife production. The factory's technical proficiency was evident in its adeptness at

forging Forging is a manufacturing process involving the shaping of metal using localized compression (physics), compressive forces. The blows are delivered with a hammer (often a power hammer) or a die (manufacturing), die. Forging is often classif ...

blades A blade is the sharp, cutting portion of a tool, weapon, or machine, specifically designed to puncture, chop, slice, or scrape surfaces or materials. Blades are typically made from materials that are harder than those they are intended to cut. ...

through stamping, a process that was meticulously executed in three stages. Initially,

steel Steel is an alloy of iron and carbon that demonstrates improved mechanical properties compared to the pure form of iron. Due to steel's high Young's modulus, elastic modulus, Yield (engineering), yield strength, Fracture, fracture strength a ...

bars were sectioned through the use of mechanical stamping presses. Then, the blanks were subjected to a hot-pressing procedure between two dies mounted on a

power hammer Power hammers are mechanical forging hammers that use an electrical power source or steam to raise the hammer preparatory to striking, and accelerate it onto the work being hammered. They are also called open die power forging hammers. They ha ...

. Ultimately, the blades were stamped with a distinctive mark using a press. Each stage of this process demanded high precision, both from the tools installed on the machines and the workers operating them. The Forges Mondière gained recognition for the quality of its products, and its reputation rapidly expanded beyond the

Auvergne Auvergne (; ; or ) is a cultural region in central France. As of 2016 Auvergne is no longer an administrative division of France. It is generally regarded as conterminous with the land area of the historical Province of Auvergne, which was dis ...

region, attracting prestigious clients such as

Christofle Christofle is a luxury French silverware and tableware company founded in Paris in 1830 by Charles Christofle. The company is known for having introduced electrolytic gilding and silver plating in France in 1842. The company was acquired in ...

, Colliot, and Caput. File:Forges1.png, The Mondière forges factory at the end of the 19th century. File:Forges2.png, The factory in the early 20th century. File:Cascade Creux-de-l'enfer.jpg, The Creux de l'enfer waterfall and part of the Mondière forges annexes in the background at the very beginning of the ^20th century.

Factory name

The factory's nomenclature derives from the surname of one of its former proprietors who concurrently served as its director. In 1914, this individual constructed an annex adjacent to the factory, incorporating administrative offices and his official residence.

Permanent closure

Issues with the Durolle river flow

The Forges Mondière factory ceased operations at the end of the 20th century, in 1984, whereas the Creux de l'Enfer factory permanently closed in 1956. This latter factory's closure was due to increasing problems with the Durolle River's water flow in the early 20th century. First, the river's flow during the

summer Summer or summertime is the hottest and brightest of the four temperate seasons, occurring after spring and before autumn. At or centred on the summer solstice, daylight hours are the longest and darkness hours are the shortest, with day ...

remained very low and highly irregular, causing frequent work stoppages. Factories that relied on the river's hydraulic power could not operate without a sufficient water supply. Conversely, in winter, the situation reversed—the Durolle became a torrent, with immense force. The city of Thiers was one of the most flood-prone areas in the Puy-de-Dôme department, and the Vallée des Usines was the hardest-hit neighborhood during these events.

Transition to electricity

In order to address the aforementioned challenges, manufacturing facilities initiated the adoption of electricity as a primary source of power as early as 1903. By 1920, the

Durolle The Durolle (formerly ''Dorole'') is a 32-kilometer-long French Riviera, French river in the Departments of France, departments of Loire (department), Loire and Puy-de-Dôme, in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region. A right-bank tributary of the Do ...

facility had attained an average daily generation capacity of 1,000 horsepower, compared to 1,500 horsepower generated by electric power sources. The transformed to accommodate electrification, thereby achieving independence from the river and attaining the status of a "complete factory."

Abrupt closure

Beginning in the second half of the 20th century, the factory and its workshops underwent further modernization, and the Durolle River was no longer used as an energy source, having been replaced by electricity. On the day before the factory's closure, employees were notified. The next day, they had just enough time to collect their belongings before leaving the factory for the last time. Following the cessation of operations, the building, which occupied a space of just over 700 m² at the time, became obsolete.

National symposium on monumental metal sculpture

In 1985, the city of Thiers hosted a National

Symposium In Ancient Greece, the symposium (, ''sympósion'', from συμπίνειν, ''sympínein'', 'to drink together') was the part of a banquet that took place after the meal, when drinking for pleasure was accompanied by music, dancing, recitals, o ...

on Monumental Metal Sculpture. This event convened numerous regional and international artists who collaborated with local artisans to create their works. Canadian artist George Trakas examined the history of the Vallée des Usines through his art and installed the "sword bridge" along with a series of walkways that still overlook the waterfall and the Durolle torrent.

Current state

In the aftermath of the factory's closure in 1984, the Thiers city council procured the site to perpetuate the narrative of the

Vallée des Usines The Vallée des Usines (lit. French for Valley of Factories) is the name given to part of the Durolle valley, mainly located in the Communes of France, commune of Thiers, Puy-de-Dôme, Thiers in the Departments of France, French department of Pu ...

. Under the leadership of

Maurice Adevah-Pœuf Maurice Adevah-Pœuf (27 March 1943 – 10 May 2021) was a French politician and academic. A member of the Socialist Party, he served as a member of the National Assembly for Puy-de-Dôme's 5th constituency from 1981 to 1993 and again from 1997 ...

, the municipality recognized the Vallée des Usines as possessing substantial cultural and tourism potential. Despite the proposal of numerous rehabilitation and enhancement initiatives, none were executed. Concurrently, two other factories situated further downstream on the

Durolle The Durolle (formerly ''Dorole'') is a 32-kilometer-long French Riviera, French river in the Departments of France, departments of Loire (department), Loire and Puy-de-Dôme, in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region. A right-bank tributary of the Do ...

—the Creux de l'Enfer factory and the —underwent restoration, with the former being converted into a in 1988 and the latter becoming a cultural space for hosting exhibitions. However, the Forges Mondière remained inaccessible to the public. In 2002, the factory was designated as a historic monument. The entire site, inclusive of the interior features such as manufacturing machines and hydraulic turbines, was officially registered by decree on June 14 of that year. By the conclusion of the year 2018, a portion of the roof of the factory annex, which contained the offices and the director's residence, had collapsed. Following several months of efforts to render the structure watertight, the city arrived at the decision to undertake a complete demolition of the roof, in anticipation of its replacement. The total financial expenditure incurred for these endeavors amounted to €30,000. In December 2020, an evaluation of the Forges Mondière revealed that the structure was in imminent danger of collapse. This determination was based on observing severe degradation in certain areas of the timber frames. In response, the municipal authorities took measures to secure the building with support beams, while also initiating the process of planning for future restoration efforts.

Plans for tourism development

Since 1984, the city of Thiers has conducted studies to rehabilitate the Forges Mondière and transform the site into a branch of the Museum of Cutlery, focusing particularly on 20th-century industry.

Historical context

At the turn of the 21st century, the economy of Thiers, with its historical reliance on the cutlery mono-industry, underwent significant transformations. These changes initially took place at the economic level, marked by a reconversion and diversification of activities based on traditional trades such as

mechanics Mechanics () is the area of physics concerned with the relationships between force, matter, and motion among Physical object, physical objects. Forces applied to objects may result in Displacement (vector), displacements, which are changes of ...

,

forging Forging is a manufacturing process involving the shaping of metal using localized compression (physics), compressive forces. The blows are delivered with a hammer (often a power hammer) or a die (manufacturing), die. Forging is often classif ...

, and

plastics Plastics are a wide range of synthetic or semisynthetic materials composed primarily of polymers. Their defining characteristic, plasticity, allows them to be molded, extruded, or pressed into a diverse range of solid forms. This adaptab ...

processing. Spatially, businesses moved from the

Vallée des Usines The Vallée des Usines (lit. French for Valley of Factories) is the name given to part of the Durolle valley, mainly located in the Communes of France, commune of Thiers, Puy-de-Dôme, Thiers in the Departments of France, French department of Pu ...

and the old town center to the plains. This transition was facilitated by the advent of new energy sources, such as

electricity Electricity is the set of physical phenomena associated with the presence and motion of matter possessing an electric charge. Electricity is related to magnetism, both being part of the phenomenon of electromagnetism, as described by Maxwel ...

, and was driven by the scarcity of available space and the accessibility challenges in these older districts. An initial focus was placed on revitalizing the medieval town to reverse the trends of disintegration and decline in the upper town. This endeavor included the establishment of the Museum of Cutlery on its namesake street in 1982. However, the valley remained excluded from these revitalization efforts until the mid-1980s, when the Thiers municipality initiated discussions to breathe new life into an underappreciated industrial heritage.

Objectives

This enhancement was part of a comprehensive initiative encompassing projects of various types. First, a cultural project was initiated in which the valley played a role in the broader efforts focused on the historic town center at the time. This initiative aimed to promote the preservation of significant

industrial heritage Industrial heritage refers to the physical and intangible legacy of industrialisation, including buildings, machinery, workshops, sites, and landscapes of historical and technological significance. Stefan Berger and Steven High define industrial h ...

and the transmission of artisanal knowledge. Second, an economic project was implemented to renovate existing facilities and attract new artisans and industrial creators to the area. The inclusion of an urban project was predicated on the valley's status as a significant land and real estate reserve close to the city center. Notwithstanding the valley's marginalization in the early 1980s, the municipality prioritized the rehabilitation of key sites that defined the identity of the Vallée des Usines, including the Creux de l'Enfer factory, the , and the Forges Mondière. Of these, the Forges Mondière factory was regarded as the most promising location due to its integration of architecture and urban landscape with the surrounding environment, particularly the river and natural surroundings. Notably, the Forges Mondière factory featured an innovative hydraulic energy exploitation system, which garnered significant attention for its advanced technology and sustainability.

Mixed results

In 1985, the was held to symbolically initiate the enhancement of the Vallée des Usines. This event showcased an imposing work by

George Trakas George Trakas is a sculptor who was born in Quebec City in 1944 and has lived in New York City since 1963. Many of his projects are site-specific art, site-specific installations, and he describes himself as an environmental sculpture, environment ...

between the Forges Mondière and the . In 1988, the Creux de l'Enfer factory was fully renovated to host a . In the early 1990s, the municipality of Thiers undertook the rehabilitation of another factory to attract new employment opportunities to the site. Subsequently, in 1998, the

Vallée des Rouets The Vallée des Rouets (, “Valley of Mills”) is a part of the valley of the river Durolle, principally situated on the land of Thiers, Puy-de-Dôme, Thiers, in the Departments of France, French department of Puy-de-Dôme in the Auvergne-Rhône- ...

officially opened, thereby highlighting the grindstones further upstream on the Durolle, where

grinders Grinder may refer to: Machinery *Various types of grinding machine, used in a machining operation to refine the surface of materials *Food grinders **Blade grinder, includes food processors, blenders, electric coffee and spice grinders, etc. **Co ...

once worked. By 2009, the municipality, under the leadership of , who had succeeded

Maurice Adevah-Pœuf Maurice Adevah-Pœuf (27 March 1943 – 10 May 2021) was a French politician and academic. A member of the Socialist Party, he served as a member of the National Assembly for Puy-de-Dôme's 5th constituency from 1981 to 1993 and again from 1997 ...

in 2001, had completed the renovation of the . However, this renovation did not include the continuation of the comprehensive project for the valley that had been proposed by the previous administration from the 1980s to 2001. Despite the emergence of novel considerations in 2004 concerning the technical viability of restoring the Forges Mondière, no additional restoration work was undertaken at the site.

Toward a new dynamic

The municipal administration, elected in 2020, has proposed an ambitious program to revitalize the Vallée des Usines and the Forges Mondière, recognizing their significant tourism, economic, urban, cultural, and symbolic potential. This program includes plans for a sound and light festival and the rehabilitation of buildings such as the Creux de l'Enfer and the Forges Mondière. By the end of December 2020, the municipal government of Thiers had declared its intention to "explore all available funding sources" to preserve the Forges Mondière building, emphasizing the potential for collaboration with the

Heritage Foundation The Heritage Foundation (or simply Heritage) is an American conservative think tank based in Washington, D.C. Founded in 1973, it took a leading role in the conservative movement in the 1980s during the presidency of Ronald Reagan, whose polic ...

. Concurrently, municipal authorities took measures to secure the structure, which, by December 2020, was at risk of imminent collapse.

Architecture

Exterior design

The primary structure is situated within the profound Vallée des Usines, with rock formations encircling it in the posterior section, thereby serving as a natural barrier. Access to the factory is facilitated by a metal-framed

bridge A bridge is a structure built to Span (engineering), span a physical obstacle (such as a body of water, valley, road, or railway) without blocking the path underneath. It is constructed for the purpose of providing passage over the obstacle, whi ...

with a

concrete Concrete is a composite material composed of aggregate bound together with a fluid cement that cures to a solid over time. It is the second-most-used substance (after water), the most–widely used building material, and the most-manufactur ...

deck. Approximately three-quarters of the exterior walls are adorned with expansive rectangular glass windows. The roof, constructed in the

shed A shed is typically a simple, single-storey (though some sheds may have two or more stories and or a loft) roofed structure, often used for storage, for hobby, hobbies, or as a workshop, and typically serving as outbuilding, such as in a bac ...

style, features numerous wooden

lanterns A lantern is a source of lighting, often portable. It typically features a protective enclosure for the light sourcehistorically usually a candle, a wick in oil, or a thermoluminescent mesh, and often a battery-powered light in modern timesto ...

and encompasses the majority of the factory, with a minor portion employing a single-pitch design. An annex building, which formerly housed administrative offices, is located on the opposite side of the river and can be accessed directly from without crossing a bridge. This annex is constructed from granite rubble masonry with a coated finish, and its

gable A gable is the generally triangular portion of a wall between the edges of intersecting roof pitches. The shape of the gable and how it is detailed depends on the structural system used, which reflects climate, material availability, and aesth ...

roof A roof (: roofs or rooves) is the top covering of a building, including all materials and constructions necessary to support it on the walls of the building or on uprights, providing protection against rain, snow, sunlight, extremes of tempera ...

features three overhanging dormers.

Interior design

Following the factory's closure, the city of Thiers acquired the building, and no machinery was removed or relocated. The former factory contains spring or plank

power hammers Power hammers are mechanical forging hammers that use an electrical power source or steam to raise the hammer preparatory to striking, and accelerate it onto the work being hammered. They are also called open die power forging hammers. They ha ...

(also known as " trip hammers") operated by wooden pulleys driven by the Durolle River. Equipment such as tempering stations, punching machines, upsetting presses, forging presses, hammering machines, and annealing machines are still in place. The workstations, which include wooden benches and wrought-iron tables, are utilized for the handling of unfinished knife blades, unassembled wooden handles, and raw steel bars. The wooden shelves, affixed to 20th-century concrete and cinder block walls, serve as storage for nearly finished knives. The back wall of the factory, which was constructed directly onto the rock, is supported by semicircular barrel vaults. The rear wall of the factory is constructed directly onto the bedrock and is supported by barrel vaults of a semicircular configuration. Four workshops have been identified, and constructed successively, and the oldest part of the building corresponds to the former location of the water wheel. This part is made of granite rubble masonry. Remnants of a sluiceway in the basement indicate that a vertical paddle wheel powered by the Durolle River once operated the machinery. The primary workshop's construction comprises

timber framing Timber framing () and "post-and-beam" construction are traditional methods of building with heavy Beam (structure), timbers, creating structures using squared-off and carefully fitted and Woodworking joints, joined timbers with joints secure ...

infilled with granite rubble, concrete blocks, bricks, and wooden planks. File:ForgesMondière4.jpg, A shelf with rusty blades. File:ForgesMondière7.jpg, An annealing furnace. File:ForgesMondière2.jpg, A display stand. File:ForgesMondière3.jpg, A transmission system. File:ForgesMondière5.jpg, A punch-cutting machine.

The forges Mondière in the arts

In 2017, the artist Mireille Fustier incorporated elements of the former cutlery factory and the cascade at Creux de l'Enfer into her artistic oeuvre. Drawing inspiration from the local topography, she directed her attention to the structures of the Vallée des Usines, with a particular emphasis on the Creux de l'Enfer, the May factory, and the Forges Mondière. The novel ''La Ville noire'' (1860) by

George Sand Amantine Lucile Aurore Dupin de Francueil (; 1 July 1804 – 8 June 1876), best known by her pen name George Sand (), was a French novelist, memoirist and journalist. Being more renowned than either Victor Hugo or Honoré de Balz ...

features a section of the story set at the May factory, located adjacent to the Forges Mondière. In 2019, the

pop Pop or POP may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media * Pop music, a musical genre Artists * POP, a Japanese idol group now known as Gang Parade * Pop! (British group), a UK pop group * Pop! featuring Angie Hart, an Australian band Album ...

group L'Impératrice filmed scenes for their music video, ''Là-haut'', in front of two notable industrial sites: the Creux de l'Enfer and the May factory. These sites have a rich history, as evidenced by a 2015 documentary created by the WEBTV Livradois Forez association. This documentary delved into the history of the factory and included footage filmed inside the building in collaboration with the city of Thiers.

Notes

References

Bibliography

* * * * *

External links

* Architecture resource
Mérimée
{{Portal, Museums Industry museums in France Museums in Puy-de-Dôme Manufacturing plants Metal forming

Location

General overview

History

Origins of cutlery in the valley

Origins of the factory

First grinding mill

Paper mill

Sawmill and cutlery production

Factory name

Permanent closure

Issues with the Durolle river flow

Transition to electricity

Abrupt closure

National symposium on monumental metal sculpture

Current state

Plans for tourism development

Historical context

Objectives

Mixed results

Toward a new dynamic

Architecture

Exterior design

Interior design

The forges Mondière in the arts

See also

Notes

References

Bibliography

External links