Société des Cendres
The building of the Société des Cendres (literally: Society of Ashes ) at 39 rue des Francs-Bourgeois in the 4th arrondissement in Paris was formerly used as a factory for the recovery of precious metals . As one of the last industrial operations, the smelter in the Marais district, famous for its aristocratic palaces and fashion boutiques, was in operation until 2002. In 2010 the building was sold by the Société des Cendres and the new owner opened a clothing store in it. During the redesign, the iron structure of the hall, the large factory clock and the brick-built factory chimney, which is over 30 meters high, were preserved and restored.
history
In 1859, the Parisian jewelers, goldsmiths, watchmakers and other companies that processed precious metals joined together in a cooperative , the Société des Cendres , as they smelt their waste and recover the precious metals it contained, such as gold, silver or platinum Wanted to direct. For this purpose, the cooperative, which had 500 members when it was founded, acquired a plot of land in the Rue des Francs-Bourgeois in 1866 and had a factory built there by the architect Edmond Allard the following year - in the immediate vicinity of several former aristocratic palaces. Due to this environment, the facade of the factory building facing the street was adapted in its design to that of a Hôtel particulier . Only the inscription under the roof approach FONDERIE D'OR ET D'ARGENT TRAITEMENT DES CENDRES ESSAIS ET ANALYSES , which has been restored today, gave information about the function of the building, in which up to a hundred metal smelters worked at times. At last the factory had 25 employees.
The Sociéte des Cendres still exists today. It is based in Vitry-sur-Seine , a suburb of Paris, and specializes in dental prostheses and orthodontic appliances .
Gold and silver melt
The shareholders of the cooperative brought the waste that they had collected in their workshop to the smelter in sacks of 50 to 500 kg. The rubbish was burned, the ashes crushed, finely ground, sifted and washed under their eyes. The ash was then mixed with mercury and heated. What remained was the liquid gold and silver, which was poured into bars and returned to each individual cooperative member.
museum
Some of the machines and tools are exhibited in the basement in a small museum on the history of the smelter. Short films show the factory during its activity.
Factory model
Showcase with machines and tools
oven
Libra
Web links
- Écomusé de la Société des Cendres du Marais Museum of the Société des Cendres in the Marais district (accessed on January 31, 2015, in French)
- Société des Cendres Video (accessed January 31, 2015, French)
- Des Usines à Paris by Denis Cosnard (accessed January 31, 2015, in French)
- Société des Cendres Le piéton de Paris (accessed January 31, 2015, in French)
Individual evidence
- ↑ SDC Société des Cendres (accessed January 31, 2015, French)
Coordinates: 48 ° 51 ′ 28.3 " N , 2 ° 21 ′ 36" E