Timeline

Heritage classified

Key figures

Origin and history

The Petit-Fahys distillery farm, located in Fougerolles-Saint-Valbert (Haute-Saône), was built in the early 19th century. The main building, built in 1829 by Pierre Joseph Aubry and his wife Marie Anne Larrière, combines habitat, farming and alcohol storage. A distillery workshop and a grain chamber were added in 1831, marking the beginning of an industrial activity which lasted until 1978.

The distillery, founded by Desle-Joseph Aubry in the 1830s, passed into the hands of several owners, including his son Joseph-Victor (1862-1888), then Alfred Ougier, before being acquired in 1901 by the Simon brothers. The latter modernized the equipment with four Girod and Cellier stills in 1928, used until closing. The establishment, operated under the name Establishments Alexandre Simon from 1946, ceased operations in 1978 after the death of Louis Simon.

Transformed into an ecomuseum in 1986, the distillery farm was listed as a Historic Monument in 1984. It preserves a 20th-century Dalambic battery, steam machines and tools related to the production of kirsch, illustrating the economic and artisanal history of Haute-Saône. The site, a communal property since 1980, is now home to the Écomusée du Pays de la Cerise, dedicated to local heritage and distillation traditions.

The buildings, built of stone and stoneware, reflect 19th century industrial rural architecture. The estate also includes workshops added at the end of the 19th century, as well as a hall of the 1960s, partially destroyed to develop museum spaces in 2001. Together, this shows the evolution of distillation techniques and the adaptation of the site to contemporary cultural uses.

External links