Timeline

Heritage classified

Key figures

Origin and history

The forges of Rans, founded in 1705 by the prince of Bauffremont on the banks of the Doubs, were initially composed of a blast furnace, a forge and a refinery fire. Authorised by a royal decree of 13 January 1705, they were bought in 1798 by Léonard Caron. By 1790, the set already had two refineries, illustrating an expanding metallurgical production.

Between 1854 and 1857, the factory was profoundly modernized to become the main centre of the Société des Hauts Fourneaux, Fonderies and Forges de Franche-Comté. Four blast furnaces were built (two on wood, two on coke in 1863), while the staff increased from 27 workers in 1840 to 250 in 1863. The ore came from the open pit mines at Ougney, connected by rail, before its closure in 1922.

The decline began at the end of the 19th century: wood stoves, considered unprofitable, were demolished around 1870, leaving only an active coke blast furnace until 1891. The factory was taken over in 1938 by Distibois to produce charcoal until 1976. A hydropower plant, built in 1920, operated until 1988. The buildings, partially listed in the Historical Monuments in 1984, are now decommissioned and degraded.

The current remains include brick and cast iron workshops (mechanical tile roofs or asbestos cement roofs), semi-crouped employer housing, and workhouses with spans. The site, the latest Jurasian example of coke blast furnace, also retains industrial equipment such as tanks, Oerlikon engines, and a Meidinger fan. His spitter, formerly separated by the Doubs, is today abrased.

The history of forges reflects the technological changes (crossing from wood to coke, heat recovery in 1840) and economics of French metallurgy. Their protection in 1984 highlighted their heritage value, despite a precarious state of conservation in the 21st century. The site remains a key testimony of rural industrialization in Franche-Comté.

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