Vallée des Rouets

The Vallée des Rouets (French pronunciation: [vale de ʁwɛ], “Valley of Mills”) is a part of the valley of the river Durolle, principally situated on the land of Thiers, in the French department of Puy-de-Dôme in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region. The area is known for its long artisanal past, as the inhabitants have made use of the locomotive power of the Durolle River since the Middle Ages. The beginning of the 20th century marked the closure of most of the water-powered mills in the valley in favor of the production of cutlery, mainly situated in the Vallée des Usines (Valley of Factories), located downstream. After multiple years of mobilizing to protect the architectural heritage of Vallée des Rouets, the town hall of Thiers, under the direction of deputy mayor Maurice Adevah-Pœuf, opened a tourist route to the public in 1998. The route was combined with a museum of cutlery featuring the history of the location and fabrication techniques for knives as well as the operation of the last mill in operation in the valley and its water wheel.

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