French former factory.
The Forges Mondière is a former factory specializing in the drop forging of knife blades, located in the Vallée des Usines in Thiers, in the French department of Puy-de-Dôme, within the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region.
The site under consideration was initially a mill in the 15th century, later transitioning into a paper mill and sawmill, and eventually becoming home to a cutlery company that also operated at the nearby May factory 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 factory is located in the Vallée des Usines, 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 and conferences. 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, part of the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region, within the commune of Thiers. Situated in the Vallée des Usines, the building is constructed within the minor bed of the Durolle River. Moreover, the factory is adjacent to a former annex of the Delaire Forges upstream and the May factory downstream.
History.
Origins of cutlery in the valley.
Since the Middle Ages, the hydraulic power of the Durolle River has been harnessed in Thiers to operate a variety of industrial mills, including flour mills, tanners' fulling mills, papermakers' hammers, and, subsequently, cutlery, forge, and grinding wheel 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.
Origins of the factory.
First grinding mill.
According to Gregory of Tours, Saint Genesius, a martyr, was decapitated on a rock in the Durolle 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 May factory, 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 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 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. The timber-framed walls of this period still stand as a testament to this era. By 1901, the factory 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 blades through stamping, a process that was meticulously executed in three stages. Initially, steel 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. 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 region, attracting prestigious clients such as Christofle, Colliot, and Caput.
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 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 facility had attained an average daily generation capacity of 1,000 horsepower, compared to 1,500 horsepower generated by electric power sources. The May factory 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 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. Under the leadership of Maurice Adevah-Pœuf, 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 Creux de l'Enfer factory and the May factory—underwent restoration, with the former being converted into a contemporary art center 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, forging, and plastics processing. Spatially, businesses moved from the Vallée des Usines and the old town center to the plains. This transition was facilitated by the advent of new energy sources, such as electricity, 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 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 May factory, 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 National Symposium on Monumental Metal Sculpture was held to symbolically initiate the enhancement of the Vallée des Usines. This event showcased an imposing work by George Trakas between the Forges Mondière and the Entraygues factory. In 1988, the Creux de l'Enfer factory was fully renovated to host a contemporary art center. 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 officially opened, thereby highlighting the grindstones further upstream on the Durolle, where grinders once worked.
By 2009, the municipality, under the leadership of Thierry Déglon, who had succeeded Maurice Adevah-Pœuf in 2001, had completed the renovation of the May factory. 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