Origin and history
The Galiciare mill, located in Chatte en Isère, is a major industrial vestige of the 19th century, born from the consolidation in 1855 of two nearby factories, the Fabrique Haute and the Fabrique Basse. Purchased by the Lyon traders François Fleury Cuchet and Romain Deprandière, it was led by François Cuchet and his son-in-law Joseph Louis Marc Crozel. The factory, a supplier of Maison Deprandière and Maurel in Lyon, grew rapidly: in 1870 it had 600 tavelles, 6,000 pins and 56 basins, becoming the third milling company in the department. Its architecture, optimized for each stage of production (magnerie, spinning, forge), reflects the technical and hygrometric requirements of silk work.
Galicia is an example of the golden age of milling in Dauphiné, a leading region in France at the end of the 18th century, thanks to its hydraulic network and skilled labour. The site, powered by a former mill certified in 1651, preserves machines dating from the French Revolution, including a cocoon oven and unique thermal and hydrometric control systems. The buildings, organised by function (dorms for workers, refectory, housing of foremen), bear witness to a rigorous social and spatial organization. Classified as a Historic Monument in 2004, the factory was saved in 1997 by a couple of architects, who created the Association Les Amis de la Galiciare for its rehabilitation.
The magnanerie, the heart of silkworm breeding, is distinguished by its double-height structure (6 × 11 m), its open-worked claia and its persiennes regulating light and ventilation. The working rooms, dedicated to reeling and milling, exploit the thermal inertia of semi-entered walls and brushed vaults to maintain a hygrometry at 80% and a temperature between 20 and 25 °C, ideal conditions for working silk. The machines, still in place, occupy all available space, connected by transmission shafts operated by hydraulic wheels located in the immediate vicinity.
After its closure in the 1980s, the site was reopened to the public during the Journées du Patrimoine, offering exhibitions, concerts and plays inspired by its history, as Soie said by singing by Pierre Lecarme. In 2003, the association received the Grand Prix rhônalpin du Patrimoine for the conversion of the magnanerie to an exhibition hall. Today, Galicia embodies an exceptional industrial heritage, where architecture, machinism and working memory interact, offering a dive into the unknown universe of taves and mills.
The decline of the factory began with the death of Anne-Marie Crozel in 1996, the last heir of the ruling family. The workers' dormitory, in a pit, threatened ruin and was demolished, but the other buildings, including the foreman's apartment and the wheel cage, were preserved. The galetas, a former seeding site, reveals a structure suitable for silkworm cladies, while the oculi with a star-shaped frame shows the ingenuity of the ventilation systems. This site, a unique time capsule in Europe, also recalls the key role of women in this industry, housed on site and subject to strict discipline, as evidenced by the surveillance judas in dormitories.
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