Timeline

Heritage classified

Key figures

Origin and history

The May Factory, located in the Thiers Mills Valley (Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes), is a former cutlery factory built in the late 19th century. It replaces medieval workshops, including a mould wheel certified in 1476 near the "rock of hell", a legendary place linked to the martyrdom of Saint Genès. In 1890, a modern granite and brick factory was built, equipped with hydraulic systems operating the Durolle. A bridge then connects the workshop to Joseph Claussat Avenue, facilitating access for workers and goods.

In 1900, the company Grange Jeune J. Lepage successor firm, and the factory is divided into workshops rented to cutlery artisans. In the 20th century, it moved to electricity (as early as 1903), gradually abandoning the hydraulic force. The Durolle floods and industrial modernization led to its definitive closure in the 1960s. Repurchased by Thiers City Hall in the 1980s, it was listed as a historic monument in 2002 and rehabilitated in 2009 to become the Industrial Adventure House, dedicated to the history of cutlery.

Since 2015, the factory has hosted free cultural exhibitions, artist residences and events. Its industrial architecture, marked by bricks, granite and metal bridges, is enhanced by night lights. The site retains hydraulic remains (turbine, glass floor on the Durolle) and original elements such as pulleys and stairwell. In 2011, he received the Ruban du Patrimoine for its renovation (2.17 million euros).

The May factory is inseparable from the Factory Valley, the historic heart of the Thiernois cutlery since the Middle Ages. As early as the 12th century, a quarter of the population worked in this sector, exporting knives to Europe and beyond. The Durolle, a capricious torrent, shaped the local industry: its irregular flow pushed the factories to electrify in the early twentieth century. Today, the site symbolizes the transition between industrial heritage and cultural dynamism, with works such as the Bridge-Sword (1985) by artist George Trakas.

The administration of the place is carried out by the town hall of Thiers, via two deputies dedicated to heritage and culture. The increasing number of visitors (2,500 to 4,000 per year) has benefited from a free tariff policy since 2015. The factory also inspires the arts: painted by Mireille Fustier (2017), quoted in George Sand's Black City (1860), and frame of the music clip Upstairs of the L-Imperatrice group (2019).

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