Surprising architectural surprises
At the beginning of the 20th century, some forty factories dedicated to working with terracotta set up shop in the Vallée de la Céramique. Artisan workshops, potteries and tile factories were in full swing: stoneware tiles and containers, earthenware decorations, pottery, tiles, bricks and ceramics in all their forms were mass-produced here.
The large tile factories in Montchanin, Chagny and Écuisses, the tile factory in Paray-le-Monial, and the stoneware potteries in Digoin, Palinges and Pouilloux flourished between 1870 and 1920.
Challenged by competition from new materials from 1940 onwards, the ceramics industry declined and collapsed in the region.
Numerous remnants of the epic of this local industry remain today in some fifteen communes along the Canal du Centre. Strolling through the villages, you can admire the many houses with facades decorated with ceramics and multicolored earthenware, testifying to the activity of yesteryear.
