Forges Mondière

The Forges Mondière is a former factory specializing in the drop forging of knife blades, located in the Vallée des Usines in Thiers, in the French department of Puy-de-Dôme, within the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region. The site under consideration was initially a mill in the 15th century, later transitioning into a paper mill and sawmill, and eventually becoming home to a cutlery company that also operated at the nearby May factory and in additional workshops. However, the factory closed abruptly in 1984, leaving its interior workshops frozen in time, due to fierce competition from Asian markets and the progressive relocation of valley industries to more accessible plains near highway exits. This abrupt closure occurred in close temporal proximity to the shutdown of the nearby Creux de l'Enfer factory, and it occurred just a few years after the site's purchase by the Thiers town council. The town council had initially planned to rehabilitate the site as an extension of the Museum of Cutlery. However, this project was ultimately abandoned in favor of focusing on the May factory and the Vallée des Rouets. The factory is located in the Vallée des Usines, where the Durolle River's gorges are at their narrowest. This location has been the subject of several redevelopment projects, and some neighboring sites have already been repurposed. These include the Creux de l'Enfer, which has been converted into a contemporary art center, and the May factory, used for temporary exhibitions and conferences. The Forges Mondière was designated a historical monument in 2002, a designation shared with the May factory.