Timeline

Heritage classified

Key figures

Origin and history

Maringues tanneries, which have been active for at least the thirteenth century, reached their peak in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries. These workshops, specialized in the treatment of sheep's skins (gisseries), extended along the Morge River, essential for the cleaning and preparation of leathers. Their typical architecture, with levels dedicated to the various phases of work (ground-side preparation, storage, tanners' habitat, and drying under the attic), reflects a rational organization adapted to the activity.

In the 17th century, Maringues' tanneries gradually declined due to economic factors, such as the imposition of taxes on leathers and increased competition after the trade treaty with England in 1786. Despite this, some tanneries remained active until the beginning of the 20th century, the last of which closed in 1920. Today, two of them, including the Great Tannery (XVIth-17th centuries) and the Grandval Tannery, have been restored. The Grande Tannerie, classified as a Historic Monument in 1980, now houses an ecomuseum presenting traditional leatherworking techniques.

The Great Tannery perfectly illustrates the vertical organisation of the workshops: the ground floor for the preparation of skins, the upper floors for storage and housing, and the last level, made of wood, dedicated to drying. Built in pebble masonry and wooden panels, it uses local materials such as løandesite for frames. Its history is marked by periods of prosperity, especially before the Revolution, and then by an accelerated decline in the 19th century, linked to industrialization and the disappearance of artisanal circuits.

Maringues tanneries are part of a regional context where leather crafts played a major economic role. Their disappearance coincides with the transformation of production patterns and the modernization of transport, which have relegated these workshops to historical vestiges. Their preservation offers today a tangible testimony of this industrial and artisanal heritage, characteristic of the Auvergne Limagne.

The Tannery Grandval, probably built in the 16th century, houses a museum dedicated to the history of tanneries. It maintains traces of tanning and waxing activities, recalling the diversity of leather-related occupations in the region. These two restored sites make it possible to understand the past importance of tanneries in the local economy and their integration into the urban landscape of Maringues, marked by the river and river activities.

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