Timeline

Heritage classified

Key figures

Origin and history

Pincourt's chauproviding complex, located in Montjean-sur-Loire (Maine-et-Loire), is an old lime factory created in the 19th century. This industrial site, now decommissioned, was dedicated to lime production and coal mining. Its remains, mainly from the work of engineer Edmond Heusschen, illustrate a key period of local industrialization. The activity ceased in 1892, marking the end of an era for this emblematic site.

Edmond Heusschen, a Belgian engineer, played a central role in the development of the complex. He designed and supervised the Pincourt facilities, whose remaining ruins (lime furnaces, elevators, administrative buildings) were protected by an inscription to historical monuments in 1986. The site, now private property, retains a heritage value linked to the industrial history of Anjou.

The location of the complex, close to the Loire River, reflects the strategic importance of river routes for the transport of raw materials and finished products in the 19th century. The decommissioning in 1892 coincided with the development of production techniques and increased competition in the sector. Today, the protected ruins offer a material testimony of this disappeared activity, while posing the question of their preservation and their tourist or cultural enhancement.

Protected elements include the ruins of the lime oven, Pincourt elevator, and the facades and roofs of administrative buildings. These remains, although partially degraded, remain a remarkable example of 19th-century industrial architecture in Pays de la Loire. Their registration in 1986 underlines their historical and architectural importance, despite their current state of private property not open to the public.

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