Écomusée du Battant

The Battant ecomuseum is a journey into the industrial past, the techniques and know-how, but also and above all, the life of men in the last century.
Discover the saga of a site that is over 150 years old with its hydroelectric power station, sawmill and mechanical workshop, still operational!

Take a guided tour through the past at the gateway to the Vosges with one of the oldest industrial sites in the area of Charmes, which was the last one to cease operations. The Battant site takes its name from the activity of the drapers, which first trace can be found in 1580, then later by the tanners who used to go to the canal to beat* cloths and skins.
For 2 hours, a passionate guide will take you through the heart of the Battant and its origins which are linked to the canal: the turbines. Charmes was the second town in France to have hydroelectricity and two turbines are actually still working before your eyes: the mechanical workshop and a generator.
Discover the secrets of these technologies and take a walk behind the scenes of the manufacture of specific types of screws, spearheads of the Dazey-Thiébaut company, but also and above all the safety of yesteryear. Beware of the internal regulations which would make more than one apprentice go pale!
The famous engineer Paul DAZEY, who was responsible for the company's development, will amaze you with his ingenuity and his various inventions.
During our lively guided tours, full of anecdotes, you will take a trip back in time to learn more about the life of the workers and the history of Charmes.
*beating = to give finish to leather or fabric by beating it.

Visits on Sundays at 2.30 pm and 4.30 pm from Father's Day weekend to Heritage Days. Visits on request for groups from April to November. Possibility of organising educational workshops for groups: holiday centres, schools, etc.

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