Timeline

Heritage classified

Key figures

Origin and history

Pasquay stationery originated in 1717 when Benjamin Bury, son of a Wasselonne innkeeper, founded a stationery operated by the motivating force of the Mossig River. This site, originally dedicated to the production of paper, gradually expands to include oil, flour and tobacco mills. In 1738, the couple Anne Marie Pasquay (née Bury) and Joseph Pasquay inherited the estate of 15 hectares and developed a tobacco mill, taking advantage of the local tobacco culture introduced in Alsace in 1573. The Pasquay family then diversified activities, adding a wallpaper factory, dyeing, and spinning during the 18th century.

In the 19th century, the site underwent a major transformation with the gradual abandonment of paper for the benefit of brickwork, wool spinning, and a bleaching plant. In 1828, large buildings were built for the production of bricks and tiles, using innovations such as the Hoffmann kiln (patented in 1858) and the embossing tiles (patented in 1841). Fritz Pasquay (1825–93), a political and industrial figure, invented a silk insulation exported to Russia. The peak of the site coincides with the arrival of the railway in 1877, with the creation of a dedicated station (Papiermühl/La Papeterie) on the Saverne-Molsheim line.

Industrial activity declined after the fire of the mill in 1881, marking the end of this production. Only the tile-brickery and lime factory persist until 1954, the date of final closure. The estate, partially listed as a historical monument since 1988, retains major architectural remains: the director's house (1775, neo-classical style), entrance pavilions, a brick fireplace, and industrial furnaces. The interiors of the house, once decorated with paintings inspired by Joseph Vernet, were partly preserved, as were the 18th century gardens and fountains.

The spatial organization of the site reflects its evolution: residential and agricultural buildings to the south, industrial workshops to the north along the Mossig, and a station at the south-west end. The 17 hectares of the estate used to include vineyards, vegetable gardens, and worker housing for nine families. Today, the villa and part of the mill have been restored, while other buildings, such as the brick factory, are in ruins. The site thus illustrates nearly 250 years of Alsatian industrial history, marked by innovation and market adaptation.

Among the notable technical innovations, the Hoffmann oven revolutionized terracotta production through continuous cooking, while the embossed tiles, awarded at the Universal Exhibition of 1855, modernized roof covering. The Pasquay family, last represented by Pierre Pasquay, has marked local history by combining entrepreneurship and political commitment, as evidenced by Fritz Pasquay's career. The closure in 1954 closed an industrial chapter, but the inscription as historical monuments in 1988 ensured the preservation of this emblematic heritage of the Great East.

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