Metalwork

In Champagne-Ardenne, iron is everywhere to be found. It is something of a regional exception which, along with the forests and rivers, meant that metal working was strong here from the Middle Ages onwards. 

The Champagne artisans made the most of the crisscrossing trade routes in order to supply the Champagne fairs. These fairs were an opportunity to trade not only goods but also techniques. The skills of Champagne's men of iron and their openness to new techniques meant that progress here was fast. The trades and arts of fire, thanks also to the purity of the materials, were the basis for the region's industrial might, which developed and grew very fast*. 

Discover the blast furnaces of Dommartin-le-Franc and Vendresse, which stand as testimony to the golden age of metalwork in Haute Marne and the Ardennes. Discover the unique collection of old hand tools at the Tool and Workers’ History Centre in Troyes or the talent of the knife making craftsmen of Nogent.