History and photos

Contact the Forge:
21500 - BUFFON,
Telephone : 03 80 92 10 35,
Fax : 03 80 92 41 64

"Les Forges de Buffon" is a fascinating place to visit, located on the Yonne side of the canal a couple of kilometres from the town of Montbard.

They have been restored with much effort and courage by Mrs Taylor Whitehead over the last couple of decades. Open to the public and offering guided tours, you can discover the personality of Buffon and some of his discoveries.

Georges Louis Leclerc Buffon (1707 to 1788) was an expert naturalist who was appointed to the King of France. Buffon travelled extensively studying minerals, birds and wildlife. He published his first volume of the Histoire Naturelle in 1749. In total he wrote 44 volumes and is renowned as the father of Natural History, laying the foundations for the theory of evolution.

The Forge was built on the banks of the river Armançon in 1768. The water was damned and controlled to power the water-mills which in turn powered blast furnace. The establishment was years ahead of its time was an ingredient marking the beginnings of the industrial revolution for France.

After serious flooding, the forge was thenconverted into a cement factory.

The buildings of the workshops

The watermill was used to power the blower which pumped air into the furnace.

The huge hammer is powered by a watermill.

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