Forges de Moisdon-la-Rivière, Historical smithy in Moisdon-la-Rivière, France.
Forges de Moisdon-la-Rivière is a metal-working facility with stone buildings, workshops, and a former coal storage building arranged along a river in western France. The structures show the different stages of iron production, from powering the furnaces to shaping the metal.
The forges were founded in the 17th century as local iron ore deposits attracted metalworkers to the area and grew into a major production center. Throughout the 18th and 19th centuries, it adapted to new technologies and shaped the local economy until industrial changes led to its closure.
The name Forge Neuve, or "new forge", distinguishes the 1668 ironworks from older forges of the Châteaubriant barony. The site stands beside the Don, whose water powered the bellows and hammers, while charcoal came from the surrounding forest. Visitors can follow the former production chain from the two blast furnaces to the affinerie and the fenderie that rolled standardised iron bars.
The site is walkable and has parking facilities with informational panels marking each building. Wear suitable footwear as the paths cross schist rock and stone surfaces that can be slippery when wet.
The site was bought in 1952 by a Société Civile Immobilière, keeping the former Forge Neuve out of private hands and turning it into a place for walks and leisure. A first museum opened in 1984 in the old coal hall, and it was fully renovated in 2013.
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