Margot NONNOM, auteur sur Wesserling Park

The Heritage Foundation, jointly with the Community of municipalities of the Saint-Amarin Valley and the Association for management and guidance of the Wesserling Textile Park, is launching a call for donations for the renovation of a rare heritage complex: the former thermal power plant, the turbine room and the laboratory of the former Wesserling textile factory.

Parc-de-Wesserling-Grande-Chaufferie-Patrimoine-Industriel-Textile — *Former thermal power plant*

Parc-de-Wesserling-laboratoire-patrimoine-industriel-textile-alsace — *The laboratory*

Parc-de-Wesserling-turbine-patrimoine-industriel-textile-alsace — *The turbines*

Reminder of the overall project

The overall project consists of creating a coherent ecomuseum visit following its own path, over the entire site, starting from the renovated castle. The discovery will be more complete, richer and therefore more attractive. Tourist attendance targets 150,000 visitors per year starting in the early years. This will produce strong positive impacts on the local economy.

Three centuries of industrial history can be discovered through an exceptionally well-preserved European heritage. Wesserling Park is one of the rare European industrial sites able to introduce its audiences to the different historical, social and technical strata of the textile industry from the 18th to the 21st century. And this on nearly 41 hectares of land including buildings totaling 80,000 m².

A new route showcasing this fabulous industrial history is being developed for visitors to soak up the rich history of Wesserling from the 18th century to the 21st century. Five visitor centers have been emphasized to allow the exploration of this regional textile history along a high quality journey on its own site.

A 1 km “initiation and fun” walk allows you to discover the 5 ecomuseum centres. It begins with the ascent to the castle, then with a visit of the castle, the beautiful gardens, the farm, the large thermal power plant and finally the laboratory. After this fun and educational journey, visitors are invited to discover the gift shop and the turbine café, located in the old turbine room next to the power plant. At the end of this immersive journey, is the picturesque little passage of the “boulevard des Italiens” along the Thur-river where you will be told the recent history of Wesserling, that of its renovation during the beginning of the 21st century.

Parc-Wesserling-Alsace-Patrimoine-Industriel-Musee

The renovation of industrial heritage is enshrined in the founding law of the Heritage Foundation. After the restoration of the 19th century thermal power plant in 2008 and the ongoing restoration of the Wesserling Castle launched in 2020, this new large-scale project will make new spaces accessible to the public.

The project consists of rehabilitating two new spaces steeped in history that the Wesserling Park wishes to open to the public: the Grande Chaufferie (former thermal power plant) and its annex the Turbine Room (production of electricity using the steam produced by the boilers) and the Laboratory ( located in a building adjoining the Grande Chaufferie). These protected areas are part of the history of the Wesserling site, they bear witness to the technical and energy developments of this large textile Manufacture and contribute to the understanding of the site as a whole.

The function of the Grande Chaufferie, built during the second half of the 20th century, was to be the thermal power station for the Wesserling site, and as soon as it was commissioned, became the real heart of the factory, producing electricity, steam and hot water. After the closure of the Manufacture in 2003, it was shut down, abandoned and then partially dismantled.

The Grande Chaufferie is a fabulous witness to the evolution of energy choices made in Wesserling during the second half of the 20th century. It is part of a coherent heritage, between the industrial wasteland of the 19th century and the factories of the 20th century.

The Grande Chaufferie and its Turbine Room offer a privileged entry point into the world of manufacturing in the 20th century, and allow us to tackle the technological innovations and major energy issues of this period.

The old Laboratory dating from the 20th century, inaccessible to the public since its closure, was a original “test” center in which numerous tests and controls were carried out on fabric samples, at all stages of manufacture. This workshop was of great importance in the factory since all textiles had to be checked before sale; all tests for resistance, wear, elasticity, coloring and treatment of the fabrics were carried out.

The former Laboratory building is not listed as a Historic Monument but has a heritage character both through its architectural shed roof structure, its interior distribution and layout. The Laboratory is a 300m² space located on the 1st floor of the building that remained almost as it was after the factory closed. One can feel the entire history of the place and its atmosphere through the spatial arrangement (five rooms separated by picture windows, work clusters) and certain preserved working furniture elements such as radiators, metal shelves, cupboards. etc.

Museographic project:

The former laboratory: spaces dedicated to educational demonstrations will be open to the public to allow visitors of all ages to discover the various experiments carried out on textiles. The staging will set the original decor with bottles and products, as well as some devices. The old laboratory will remain frozen in time and will be visible through the many bay windows. Another room will be used for printing with the “cadrettes” (little frames) technique. An educational room will welcome school groups.

The large former thermal power plant (grande chaufferie) : the public will discover the furnace activity thanks to an animated model that shows the flow of the fuel. It will be enlivened by colored lights, sound, steam as allowed by the detecting system. The deafening noise may also accompany the visit to immerse the visitors into the former atmosphere. The access hoppers will be decorated with canvases showing film clips representing the boilers in operation.

The turbine room will become the “turbine café”. It will be converted into a cafeteria and a shop. The upper part (cafeteria area) will keep the electrical cabinets hiding the pantry part. Small spaces might host exhibitions and sales displays will be inspired by industrial equipment. The space of the old oil and gas boiler room will be accessible by the turbine café and will become a one-off entertainment room.

Parc-Wesserling-Alsace-Patrimoine-Industriel-Textile-Laboratoire — *Museographic project: the laboratory*

Parc-Wesserling-Alsace-Patrimoine-Industriel-Turbines — *Museographic project: the café-turbine*

The project consists not only of preserving the atmosphere, but of restoring the spirit of the place, despite the modification of its fate. These buildings, currently unknown to the general public, can be visited through a unique museum tour highlighting the heritage elements.

The works will make it possible to protect the buildings, to rehabilitate them and to secure them in order to make them accessible to the general public. The overall cost of the work is estimated at 400,000 €. The fundraising target to be reached is 80,000 €.

Individuals and companies wishing to participate in this major renovation can send their donations directly to the Heritage Foundation, 9, Place Kléber, 67000 STRASBOURG or make a donation on the website: www.fondation-patrimoine.org/77581

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Local distribution network consists of reducing one’s purchasing scope to favor a single intermediary. It is therefore a question of purchasing directly from the producer.

Today, local consumption is increasingly appealing to consumers for its many benefits. Choosing to buy local and seasonal fruits and vegetables, helps reduce pollution and transport waste, and thus be more environmentally friendly. Eating fresh, seasonal produce is also much better for our health. Finally, consuming local allows products to be traced and to better know their origin, while supporting the local economy.

Still in an environmental approach, the Wesserling Park is proud to welcome many companies, associations and craftsmen, most of which favor a local distribution network.

Visiting us, you will have the opportunity for example not only to buy vegetables and jams, but also beer or even fabric! Discover our partners.

Wesserling Gardens: from vegetable garden to consumer

Since 2000, the Association des Jardins de Wesserling has set up an aesthetic vegetable garden, in order to highlight the Wesserling Park, while being environmentally friendly and heeding the local history of the site. As a back-to-work program, the association also has the mission of providing a “stepping stone” job for currently 19 people, in the fields of gardening, market gardening and snacks.The vegetable gardens have expanded since February 1, 2021, with a vegetable plot extension across the road in permaculture and has obtained the organic label. The plot that is part of the Festival des Jardins Métissés (Mixed Gardens Festival) is awaiting organic labeling. The «Valeurs Parc» brand is also in the process of being obtained, which attests to the commitment to local roots, the human and social dimension and the preservation of heritage.

The Wesserling vegetable gardens are packed with a selection of diverse vegetables, berries and herbs. Apart from their decorative side in the vegetable garden, they are destined to end up on the plate! When we ask the producers what the short circuit represents for them, the answer is clear and precise: “from field to plate!”.

After harvest, the vegetables become succulent salads and soups to be enjoyed as snacks on site or to take away.

To be in line with the local distribution network, the association favors local suppliers and producers for their snacks: cold cuts, cheese, ice cream, beer, etc.

To describe what the offer of the weekly market is, a mailing is sent to the members every Monday morning with the list of vegetables on sale; the information is also relayed on their Facebook page.

The fruits are also processed into derived products. Jam and jelly (available in 13 flavors), fruit paste are sold as well as syrup (8 flavors) from the Jardins de Wesserling. The association makes baskets filled with their own products as Christmas gifts for Municipalities and Works Councils.

You can find all fresh and derived products at the shed «Cabanon des Jardins de Wesserling» (within the grounds of the Park), in the shops of the Wesserling Park, at the Saveurs et Couleurs store, at the CabriOlait goat farm, as well as at the local restaurants.

The Wesserling Gardens sales shed (cabanon) is open (fall hours) Monday and Wednesday all day (10 a.m. to 5 p.m.), as well as Tuesday, Thursday and Friday afternoons (1 p.m. to 5 p.m.) and on the weekends(10 a.m.-6 p.m.).

Les Jardins de Wesserling

16 rue de Ranspach – 68470 HUSSEREN-WESSERLING, FRANCE

+33 (0)3 67 35 09 55 | contact@jardins-wesserling.fr | http://www.lesjardinsdewesserling.org/

Cabrio: buy beer directly from the brewery

Since 2012, the Alsatian Cabrio brewery has brewed craft beers, unfiltered and unpasteurized. Located in the former Royal Textile Manufactory in Wesserling, the brewery offers 7 permanent beers for sale as well as 3 short-lived beers per year, for every taste.

For its manager, the notion of local distribution network is vibrant since he buys quality raw materials from local suppliers. It is also important to him to offer his products directly to the brewery, for offering a better shopping experience and for being close to his customers.

Except for the brewery, Cabrio beers are sold in supermarkets in Haut-Rhin, and can be enjoyed in your favorite bars, restaurants and inns.

Brasserie Cabrio

4 rue des Fabriques – 68470 FELLERING, FRANCE

+33 (0)6 59 91 88 68 | brasseriecabrio@gmail.com | https://www.brasseriecabrio.fr/

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Colorathur: fashioned and printed in Alsace

Founded in 2016, the human-sized company Colorathur specializes in digital textile printing, exclusively in B to B. The 3 partners, armed with their skills and experience in the field, wish to enhance and perpetuate the textile know-how of the South Alsace region.

They offer various printing services to their professional customers (designers, decorators, textile stores, etc.).

Indeed, thanks to the sublimation technique, Colorathur can print in small and medium quantities your visuals on advertising objects, textile and decorative items, on collection microfibers but also on fabric printing by the meter.

Whether it is to convey an advertising message or for decoration, furnishings, Colorathur provides customization and custom printing.

From high-tech microfiber material to velvet, including canvas, the company guarantees 100% French printing and tailoring, and even labelized «Alsace Terre Textile»!

Their fabric supplier is in the Vosges and they work in partnership with several local businesses. You can find their creations at the Mulhouse Zoo, the Museum of Printing on Cloth, the Cité du Train, the Hansi store, the Mulhouse Tourist Office, and many more…

COLORATHUR – SAS

4 rue des Fabriques – 68470 FELLERING, France

+33 (0)3 89 81 20 77 | info@colorathur.com | http://www.colorathur.com/

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Saveurs et Couleurs, farm products at your fingertips

Farm products Store since June 2005, Saveurs et Couleurs de la Montagne brings together a dozen farmers from the Valley. In addition to their main activity as farm producers, they are involved in the sale of their processed products at the store, located in the Wesserling Park.

The purchase of farm and local products is increasingly in demand but not always easy to access. Saveurs et Couleurs addresses this problem by offering the inhabitants of the Valley all the everyday essentials in one place!

Farmers have also chosen proximity to their customers, in order to create a link and best meet their expectations. Farms also help maintaining the countryside and mountains landscapes.

You can find on the stalls a wide range of local and seasonal products, including: dairy products, meat and fish, fresh fruits and vegetables, wines and beers, salty and sweet groceries, as well as care products and cosmetics. Most are labeled Organic Agriculture.

Saveurs et Couleurs de la Montagne

7 rue des Fabriques – 68470 FELLERING, FRANCE

+33 (0)3 89 39 14 43 | saveursetcouleurs68@orange.fr | https://www.saveursetcouleurs68.com/

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On your next visit, don’t hesitate to discover the different actors of the local distribution network of the Wesserling Park !

A maze-like, fun and educational journey through the fantastic world of Jules Verne. Explore the key moments in the life of the famous novelist: the industrial revolution, the great inventions, his works, his travels and his imagination. Set off on a hectic journey, full of emotions and discoveries!

In France, the 19th century was marked by scientific advances, major discoveries and industrialisation. Jules Verne, an important figure of the time, drew his inspiration from this rapidly changing world to write the great collection of Extraordinary Voyages. At the same time, Georges Méliès, a pioneer of science fiction cinema, drew inspiration from Jules Verne’s futuristic adventures to make several of his films. More than a century later, a literary and artistic movement found its sources in the disrupted world of the 19th century, drawing inspiration from Jules Verne to reinvent the future: this was the birth of steampunk.

By visiting this exhibition, you go on a journey to discover the different influences of steampunk.

Your discovery will begin with a dive into the 19th century, visiting the Wesserling factory and its major transformations, then you will cross the fantastical interiors of Jules Verne and Georges Méliès. You will then lose yourself in the meanders of the Nautilus and its corridors of copper pipes… Finally, drunk with steam, you will plunge into the world of contemporary steampunk art.

Through this exhibition, you will follow the thread of DMC’s history, which has guided our steps since 1746. The art of thread according to DMC is to bring a touch of creativity to everyone’s daily life! It is the red thread, but also the blue, the green or the yellow, which draw a world of colours in cross stitch for those who know how to appreciate it. Finally, the art of thread according to DMC, is a knotted, braided, crossed, embroidered, crocheted or knitted thread, the main thing being that it allows you to stage your most beautiful creative ideas…

In this exhibition, DMC proposes to discover unique works, which we hope will make you want to try your hand at the art of embroidery. The youngest will also be able to learn tapestry or embroidery thanks to the availability of small kits dedicated to children.

Two artists are highlighed this year : Aurélien Finance and Dorothée Haller.

Butterfly’s Feeling

The 29 years old born in Mulhouse artist has been exploring the regenerating and destructive power of romantic relationships for the past 11 years. He dramatizes them in a very metaphoric language. In 2009/2010, Aurélien Finance became passionate about fashion and began to use his body to create imaginary characters.

During the lockdown in 2020, the artist questioned his place in society and created a series of sculptures called 23, which was inspired by yarn spools. During the creation of this series he learned how to make bread and brioche.

While watching the dough baking, he got the idea of reproducing what he was looking at. He got inspired by the colours and shapes his brioche takes on during baking and creates the first “Sentiment de papillon” (Butterfly’s Feeling). The artist gives meaning to this new creation and is inspired by the various couples who broke up during the lockdown period. He decided to make it a series created over a period of four years. A period that refers to mourning, that the brain would need to move on.

Logis

Originally from Germany, she grew up near the French border. After a degree in Textile/Art and Design in Linz, Austria, I moved to Alsace to pursue more artistic studies. She graduated in Art-Object and postgraduated in Textile Design. She chose to live in Mulhouse because it is a city nestled in a region with a rich and singular textile past that stir my feelings. She positions herself between design, art and craft: she is a textile designer/visual artist.

For this project, she was interested in the working-class district of Mulhouse, which was once built for the workers of the nearby textile factories. Today it is a lively and colourful place. She got inspired by the structure of the streets and the textures and colours of the Mulhouse working class district and incorporate it onto her warp (threads hanging on a loom). As a cross-border person, she is interested in objects that are cross-border as well. Logis is a mix between a tapestry, a rug and a plaid – objects that offer protection and comfort in the space. Family textile finds and waste from the local textile industry (DMC, Meyer-Sansboeuf) anchor the object between the industrial past and her present in Mulhouse.