Timeline

Heritage classified

Key figures

Origin and history

The former Marrel factories, located in Châteauneuf in the Loire in the 3rd quarter of the 19th century, were founded by the Marrel brothers, originally based in Rive-de-Gier. Their expansion required the construction of a new factory in Les Étaings, covering 12 hectares, equipped with rolling mills, hammers and a Martin steelworks. Today, only the Staings chimney, built in 1867-1868, 108.7 metres high, remains, then the highest in Europe. Its octagonal brick cask, surrounded by iron, rests on a square base of 16 meters high, evoking an architecture with a quasi religious vocation.

The chimney, classified as a historical monument in 1992, was a technical challenge: in 1874, it bowed dangerously before being straightened by engineer Adolphe Henri. Its top, crowned with a lightning rod, is accessible via rings sealed in the wall. A symbol of industrial heritage, it has since 2007 been home to a pelvic falcon nest box, 70 metres high. In 2015, it became a light beacon for the Biennale du Design de Saint-Étienne, adorned with 32 LED garlands broadcasting videos in low resolution.

The Marrel factory, specializing in heavy metallurgy (plates, shielding), illustrates the industrial development of the Stephanese region in the 19th century. The fireplace, the last protected vestige of the site, is now owned by a private company (Industeel). Its nocturnal illumination and its ecological role (nidification of hawks) make it a contemporary emblem of the industrial Pilat, between worker memory and innovation.

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