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Heritage classified

Key figures

Origin and history

The sugar factory of Eppeville, located in the Somme, was founded in the 19th century but began to flourish after the First World War. It was revived between 1919 and 1922 by Edme Sommier and the engineer Émile Tabary, and was revived by the German army in 1917-1918, with the aim of becoming France's largest sugar factory. The site, chosen for its proximity to the Somme Canal and the Amiens-Tergnier railway line, extends over 190,000 m2. The architect Georges Lisch, also responsible for the restoration of the Vaux-le-Vicomte castle, designs the plans of the factory and the workers' housing, inspired by the architectural models of the Interwar period.

The construction, entrusted to specialized companies such as Skoda (a subsidiary of Schneider) and Hersent, mobilizes 600 Czech workers to assemble the metal structure. The cost of foundations on swampy land is 10 million francs. The factory, in the shape of "E", has a main facade inspired by Le Havre station, with a green ceramic inscription: "Sucre factory". Nearby, a brick castle houses the direction, while three sets of workers' housing (the Hotel de Fabrique, the Petite Cité and the Cité Germaine) are built to accommodate employees, reflecting a hierarchical social organization.

Bombarded in 1940, the sugar factory was partially rebuilt between 1941 and 1945 and expanded in the second half of the 20th century. It finally closed in February 2020, after the acquisition of the Saint Louis Sucre group by the German sugar producer Südzucker in 2001. The site, partially protected as a Historic Monument since 2021 (including the "E"-shaped manufacturing hall), is now at risk of being shaved. Its history illustrates the evolution of the sugar industry in Picardia, marked by wars, reconstructions and economic changes.

The working-class cities, conceived as gardens, perpetuate the memory of the factory leaders, with streets named in tribute to Edme Sommier and his relatives. The sugar factory, a symbol of the reconstruction of the Haute-Somme, also bears witness to the living conditions of the workers, between seasonal work and collective housing. Its architecture, combining orange bricks and ceramics, makes it a remarkable example of the French industrial heritage.

The closure of the site is part of a crisis in the sugar sector, marked by the fall in world prices and the end of quotas. The transfer of production to the Roye site in 2020 puts an end to nearly a century of activity. Today, the future of the Saint-Louis sugar factory questions about the preservation of industrial heritage, between collective memory and economic pressures.

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