Établissements Bonnet, Silk factory and boarding school in Jujurieux, France
Établissements Bonnet is a silk production complex with manufacturing buildings, a chapel, an infirmary, and residential dormitories arranged across several structures in Jujurieux, Ain. The entire site was designed as a self-contained community where workers found housing and daily services in one location.
Claude-Joseph Bonnet founded this silk factory in 1835, establishing a major production center that grew substantially over the following decades. The enterprise became one of the significant industrial operations of the region and operated continuously until the early 2000s.
This place was a distinctive working environment where young women resided while learning silk production under religious supervision. The shared life between labor, faith, and discipline shaped a community unlike typical factories of the time.
The site now operates as the Soieries Bonnet Museum, displaying collections that explain the industrial and craft history of silk production. Visitors can explore the different areas and buildings to understand how daily life and work functioned within the complex.
This facility inspired the design of the Tomioka Silk Mill in Japan, which later earned UNESCO World Heritage recognition. The Japanese industrial approach drew directly from the innovative methods established here.
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