Crédit photo : Jean-Claude Aiglehoux - Sous licence Creative Commons
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Timeline
Temps modernes
Révolution/Empire
XIXe siècle
Époque contemporaine
1800
1900
2000
1822
Continuous paper machine
Continuous paper machine 1822 (≈ 1822)
Introduction to the stationery of Prat du Ritou.
années 1830
Replacement of rag
Replacement of rag années 1830 (≈ 1830)
Adoption of wood pulp.
1852
Diploma of Aristide Bergès
Diploma of Aristide Bergès 1852 (≈ 1852)
Release from the École Centrale in Paris.
1864
Prototype of grating
Prototype of grating 1864 (≈ 1864)
Created by Aristide Bergès in Mazères-sur-Salat.
1997
Creation of the museum
Creation of the museum 1997 (≈ 1997)
By former paper workers.
2 octobre 2007
Historical Monument
Historical Monument 2 octobre 2007 (≈ 2007)
Registration of the house and stationery.
Aujourd'hui
Aujourd'hui
Aujourd'hui Aujourd'hui (≈ 2025)
Position de référence.
Heritage classified
Aristide Bergès' home in its entirety (cad. A 1941); the entire Bergès stationery (cad. A 2049) with the machines it contains (i.e. a paper manufacturing line consisting of: a hydrapulper, a Lamort vertical scrubber, a storage tank, a deduster, a Lamort type SP 800 scrubber, a platform consisting of two thickener drums and a Lamort vibrating scrubber, two hydradisc refiners, a Lamort SP 24 scrubber, a Cordebart and Michaud brand paper machine with all its components, a reeler, a turbine, an alternator and all the piping connecting the appliances); The outbuildings and annexes of the stationery (building of the old dryer, garage, stables, storage shed) (cad. A 1941, 1942, 2049); the blade wheel and its spiral pump located at the limit of Parcel A 2048 and the course of the leak channel towards the Salat; the tomb of Aristide Bergès' parents (cad. A 855); the hydraulic installation known as the Pourlande water intake (cad. Saint-Lizier C 155): inscription by order of 2 October 2007
Key figures
Aristide Bergès - Engineer and inventor
Pioneer of hydraulics and paper.
Famille Bergès - Papermaking Dynasty
Active in Couserans since the 18th.
Origin and history
The home of Aristide Bergès and the former stationery of Prat du Ritou, located in Lorp-Sentaraille in Ariège (Occitanie), bear witness to the industrial history of paper since the 18th century. This site, using the Salat's hydraulic energy, was followed by major innovations: the introduction of a continuous paper machine in 1822, the adoption of wood pulp in the 1830s, and technical improvements by Aristide Bergès, an engineer born there in 1833. The stationery maintains historical equipment, including spiral pumps and a continuous manufacturing line.
Aristide Bergès, a graduate of the École Centrale des Arts et Manufactures de Paris in 1852, is famous for his hydraulic work and his prototype of wood grating (1864), installed in Mazères-sur-Salat. Born into a family of papermakers of the Couserans, he marked the industry by his inventions, although his relations with his father were confrontational. The museum created in 1997 by former workers and enthusiasts traces this story, exposing original machines and papermaking techniques.
Ranked as a Historic Monument in 2007, the site includes Bergès' home, industrial buildings (dryer, stables, hangar), a wheel to dawn, and even his parents' tomb. The visit, lasting an average of 1h30, allows to discover the evolution of graphic arts, binding and printing, in a preserved setting where hydraulic energy has played a central role since the 18th century.
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