Timeline

Heritage classified

Key figures

Origin and history

The Lançoir sawmill is a traditional high-iron of the Vosges massif, located in Ban-sur-Meurthe-Clefcy, in the Vosges department. It is one of the few sawmills of this type still operational in the region, fed by a diversion of the Little Meurthe. This site, located between Fraize and Gérardmer, is located in the narrow glacial valley of the Sttraiture parade, in the heart of the Haute-Meurthe forest. His name, Lançoir, comes from an abrupt pierrier where, until 1950, logs were thrown towards the sawmill to be sawn there.

Existing since 1625, the sawmill was rebuilt after 1817 and modified around 1850 with the addition of a turbine designed by Étienne Canson de Montgolfier. Owned by the Dukes of Lorraine and later by the French State, it was managed by the Waters and Forests Administration until 1953 or 1963, when it was considered unprofitable and offered for sale. The last operator, a sagard (traditional Vosges sawmill), bought it back before it was gradually restored in the 1990s by a heritage conservation association, including a descendant of the latter.

The turbine, rebuilt in 1995 according to the original techniques, is the only functional example of this model in Lorraine. The sawmill, with its adjoining house, construction site and hydraulic complex (channel, valves, reservoir), is listed as a historical monument by order of 7 May 1997. Between 2008 and 2011, a major restoration project was carried out under the aegis of the community of communes of the Haute-Meurthe, then of the community of agglomeration of Saint-Dié-des-Vosges, the current owner.

Today, the site has a cultural, educational and touristic vocation. It offers guided tours with demonstrations of traditional sawing, explaining the craft of sagard. Occasionally, shows are organized in summer. In 2013, the sawmill was awarded the Tourism and Handicap label, highlighting its accessibility and its role in enhancing Vosges industrial heritage.

The sawmill retains all its original equipment, including the cart, rails and tooling of the sawmill, exposed in the hall. Its operation is based on a unique hydraulic system, combining a piped canal, a tank and an underground pipe. This heritage reflects the historical importance of logging in the Vosges valleys, a major activity until the mid-20th century.

External links