Who are we?

The association

Logo Cite des Tanneurs Lavausseau

Protecting, promoting and animating the heritage of Lavausseau

The Cité des Tanneurs is an association, under the 1901 law, whose aim is to protect, enhance and animate the heritage of Lavausseau. This consists of :

  • in an old artisanal tannery
  • a Hospitaller commandery
  • several laundries
  • a chapel

And many other curiosities to discover in the town of Lavausseau but also all along the Boivre.

The history

The beginnings

It was in 1996 that the association was created thanks to Mr Bourgoin Alain, then mayor of Lavausseau and teacher. It was while working with another association, Valboivre, also created in 1996 with the aim of developing tourism on the initiative of the communes crossed by the Boivre from Biard to Vasles, that the idea of showing visitors around the tannery, which is still in operation, was born.

The Cité des Tanneurs and Valboivre together create an 11 km hiking trail called "Le chemin des Tanneurs". Lavausseau has put its first foot in the tourism business.

C2

New premises for a new dynamic

In 2011, under the mandate of Mrs. Auliard Claudine, the renovation of an old building in the village into the Maison du Cuir, with a surface area of nearly 200 m2, will open up new horizons for the association.

An educational area as well as an area dedicated to workshops and a shop allows the association to set up activities and a more consistent welcome for groups and individuals.

Indeed, it is from this moment that the first Histoires des Rencontres du Cuir were born. The aim of this event is to explore a theme related to leather and skin ("The Great North", "The Vikings", "Feathers, fur, scales..."...).

C4 b La cour de la tannerie
C4 a Accueil

2015: the end of one story, the beginning of another

In 2015, the regulations concerning water and its cleaning require the tannery to install a water treatment plant. The high cost of the procedure encouraged the owner, Mr Yves Carbonnier, to stop the tannery's activity.

Mr Carbonnier, whose family and history has been linked to the tanneries for several generations, wishes to perpetuate this know-how and this exceptional heritage. This is why he bequeaths to the commune of Lavausseau, all the buildings with the machines in exchange for their preservation.

The municipality then delegates this task to the association by making all the premises available to it.

Volunteers as active pillars

An association would be nothing without the commitment of its volunteers.

Since 2020, Mr Charbonnel Raphaël is the President, Patrick Prades and Michelle Bastard are the vice-presidents, Renée Ayrault is the treasurer and Colette Faucher is the secretary.

Patrick Faucher, Nelly Servant, Willy Bastard, Michel Ayrault as well as Jocelyne Legendre and Véronique Saboureau are always on hand when the employees need help. 

Thanks to them, the association has been able to welcome school groups, coach operators, works councils, clubs and groups of friends to support the employees during visits or workshops.

They have taken over the maintenance of the machines, the cleaning of the premises and contribute to the implementation of the activities throughout the year. 

Their greatest pride is the excavation of the pits, which brought to light several tanning pits. This project lasted two years (2017 - 2018) but could not be completed for reasons of conservation of the heritage which could no longer be uncovered without suffering too much damage.

important. The pits are still maintained by the commune and are accessible to the public behind the tannery.

C5 a Le President Raphael avec Renee et Nelly tresoriere et benevole.
C5 d chantier fosse
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