Glacières de Sylans, Icehouse ruins in Le Poizat-Lalleyriat, France.
The Glacières de Sylans are the ruins of a natural ice operation on the shore of Lake Sylans, in the commune of Le Poizat-Lalleyriat in the Ain department. The site includes several stone buildings that were built to cut, store, and ship large blocks of ice.
The site was founded in 1864 and within a few years was sending natural ice to major cities such as Paris and Lyon, as well as to markets in Algeria. Operations stopped in 1917, when mechanical refrigeration made the whole process unnecessary.
The site is closed to the public, but information panels around the perimeter fence, installed in 2012, explain the ice trade. The tourist office organises events on the grounds surrounding the buildings during the year. The name refers to the ice stores themselves, and the painted lettering on the retaining wall names the Société des Glacières de Paris, which ran the works from 1885.
A marked trail leads around the ruins, with information signs explaining how the operation worked. The paths are fairly easy to walk, but sturdy footwear is a good idea since the ground near the lake can be damp.
The storage buildings were insulated with sawdust packed between the walls and the ice blocks to hold the cold in. This low-tech method worked so well that ice stored in winter could last through the whole summer.
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