Forges de Syam, Historical smithy in Syam, France

The Forges de Syam is a forge and sheet-metal rolling works at the confluence of the Ain and the Saine, south of Champagnole in the Jura. Its long two-storey buildings of rough tan and beige masonry, with a steep grey slate roof, dormer windows and two brick chimneys, were erected in the 19th century. A green tiered cast-iron fountain stands on a circular stone-paved base in front.

A tilt hammer is documented in 1757 and 1788, and a 1763 court record shows it was already working. The Péry family then produced over 15,000 scythes and 60,000 iron wheel tyres in 1763. After Charles-Joseph Péry's bankruptcy on 24 July 1810, Claude Jobez of Morez bought the works and built a new factory downstream between 1811 and 1820, with a reverberatory furnace.

The name reflects its location where two rivers meet, and the Jobez family shaped daily life by building a workers community with a school, dispensary, and library around the forges. This created a complete settlement where industrial work and community services were inseparable.

The site is best explored on foot since the different workshops and machines are spread across several connected areas. It helps to allow time for watching the machinery and understanding how each piece functions.

The rolling mill kept at Syam was the last of its type in France and one of the last in Europe when the site closed in 2009. The works had no travelling crane and no electric motors: machines were driven by belts. A 1987 documentary by François Royet, Symphonie en lamineur, was filmed here.