Inaugurated at an ironworks, this tourist route offers visitors to the Pays de Montbéliard the chance to get an insider's view of 25 local businesses. Crafts, industry, gastronomy or agriculture: don't hesitate to push open their doors to discover their know-how and history in the company of passionate hosts.
Launched in May 2023, this tour offers visitors a chance to immerse themselves in the living heritage of a region's companies (in this case, Burgundy-Franche-Comté).
To the delight of the curious, these economic players transform themselves into tourist attractions, offering a variety of activities open to all: guided tours of production sites, workshops on manufacturing secrets, demonstrations (and apprenticeships) of ancestral gestures, purchases of local products in welcoming boutiques...
This "Route des Savoir-faire" is an opportunity to discover the region's industrial success stories and artisanal nuggets, and to talk with men and women who are passionate about their craft.
Here are 5 examples.
While the Doubs Pays de Montbéliard is best known for housing the historic headquarters (1912) of the lion brand in Sochaux, the 72 other towns in the conurbation known as the Pays de Montbéliard are not short of industrial and craft nuggets.
Art et Lumière created the coat of arms for the town of Étupes and a stained-glass window for the Château Frédéric Japy in Beaucourt.
The guardians of various glass production techniques, the enthusiasts in this association create small decorative objects and regularly offer demonstrations of their skills at the Maison des Associations in Etupes.
This is also the case for Irène and Michel Ballay, 2 wrought-iron artists who can be visited at their Création 1538 workshop in Vieux-Charmont.
Staircases, gates, railings, pergolas and studio windows: they design and produce entirely custom-made, impressive works which, on site, can inspire vocations as blacksmiths.
We remain in the inspiring company of local players with La Recyclerie des forges.
La Recyclerie des Forges is a work-integration association that gives new life to pedal-powered motorized machines (ATVs, bicycles, mountain bikes) by collecting and renovating them. These "waste products" become travel companions again, and why not go from Audincourt to Berche, where a visit to Miels de Franche Conté is a must.
Isabelle, Éric and Aurélien will welcome you to this family-run farm with its thousand or so beehives. These beekeepers will teach you all about the particularities of producing this local honey, and the visit will end with a tasting of the products entirely managed by these 3 enthusiasts.
Finally, in the same vein of local and natural production, visit Manufacture Métis, an artisanal weaving workshop where restored old machines produce linens and clothing from cotton, linen or hemp fibers.
Since 2018, the traditional woven cloth of the Pays de Montbéliard region has also been made here once again: its history, and that of this factory relaunched in 2016, awaits you in Etupes.
Woodworking, watchmaking, leather goods, floral creations, cheese-making...: there's much more to discover along this Route des savoir-faire. To find out about the various partner structures and book one of the events they offer, visit this dedicated web site.
Enjoy your visit(s)!
Valérie from Comme des Français
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Crédits photo : ©Simon Daval - Périples & Cie / ©OTPM
