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Heritage classified

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Origin and history

The Byrrh cellars, located in Thuir in the Pyrénées-Orientales, are agricultural, industrial and commercial facilities built from the 19th century for the manufacture of the Byrrh, an aromatized wine. They are known to house the largest oak lightning in the world. In 2020, part of the facility, including annexes 3, 7 and 7 bis, was listed as a historic monument. These annexes are now open to the public after they were transferred by Pernod-Ricard to the Community of Aspres communes in 2011.

Annex 3 houses the Thuir Tourist Office, three concrete tanks and an old collection of posters dating from 1903. Annex 7, covered by a metal frame, contains 70 oak lightnings, while Annex 7 bis houses a 10,000 hectolitre tank, built between 1935 and 1950 by the Fruhinshcoltz coopery in Nancy. This tank was the largest in the world in oak when it was built. In May 2022, a fire damaged part of the roofs without touching the historic tanks.

The Byrrh cellars are located north of Thuir, at the crossroads of Violet Boulevard and the avenue of Dr François Ecoiffier, close to Villa Palauda and its park. Although some parts are still used by Pernod-Ricard for alcohol production, the listed annexes are now dedicated to visiting and valuing the local industrial heritage.

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