Timeline

Heritage classified

Key figures

Origin and history

The production of the Aulnes, located in Fraize in the Vosges, was built in 1891 by the company Géliot, founded in 1835. This industrial building, equipped with 458 jobs with 58,000 pins and two steam engines, employed up to 800 workers. Its establishment radically transformed the hamlet into an industrial village, marking the climax of the Vosges textile industry in the 19th century.

The site retains a rare element: an Underwriter pump, manufactured by Mather and Platt Limited in Manchester. This system provided an automatic fire protection network, a major innovation for the time. The mill, with its alarm bells, pumps and fireplace, was listed as historical monuments by order of 7 May 2015.

Géliot, initially led by Nicolas Géliot, played a key role in regional textile development. Established in 1835 at Plainfaing, it became one of the most influential companies in the Vosges. The production of the Aulnes, with its owner city, illustrates the rise of industrialization and its social impact on rural areas.

Today, the site includes the old machinery building, pumping systems (pipeworks, masonry galleries) and the chimney, intact testimonies of 19th-century industrial architecture. Owned by the municipality of Fraize, it remains a symbol of the technical and labour heritage of the Grand Est region.

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