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Ronchamp Tourisme - Vivez les Vosges du Sud

Alfred Schwartzentrüber's sawmill

PRESENTATION

Alfred Schwartzentrüber's sawmillPlancher-bas had numerous sawmills during the 20th century. Alfred Schwartzentrüber's sawmill, the biggest one, still exists today. Equipped with a multi-blade gantry, it had a very high work rate. The adjustment of the blades allowed flexibility as to plank widths and its saw bench could saw 11,5 metre-long pieces of lumber.

Originally it worked using water powder; the driving force of the water from the canal, fed by the Rahin river. This mechanism was then replaced by a heavy diesel engine, the characteristic noise resounded throughout the district.

As time went by, a circular saw, a planing machine and a joiner's workshop were set up on the other bank of the canal. Bernard Michaud acquired the saw mill in 1979 and used it occasionally until the end of the ‘80s. Totally neglected since then, it got very rundown.
In 2004, the Association for the Rehabilitation and the Protection of the Municipal Sawmill of Lepuix-Gy acquired the sawmill in Plancher-Bas.
Volunteers carried out the most urgent work, repairing the damage caused by water and changing the wooden posts of the basic structure. The remains of the water wheel were found in the canal, which allowed an identical copy to be made.

The diesel engine is currently being restored, but because of its rare construction the task is complicated. Visits have been organized since 2005 for European Heritage Day, every second weekend of September, as well as during International Plancher-Bas walks in April and September.

Communauté de communes Rahin et Chérimont
Offices de Tourisme de France
Offices de Tourisme de France
Massif des Vosges
Parc naturel régional des Ballons des Vosges
Ronchamp Tourisme
25 rue Le Corbusier
70250 RONCHAMP