Urban Exploration - The Shoe Factory

We received photos from a traveler and compiled them into a historical summary.

Here is a visit to an old factory that produced components for shoes. This was our starting point for a place about which, at first glance, we knew next to nothing. Access isn't exactly straightforward. Given that the site is currently being marketed for real estate development, it is absolutely crawling with cameras. My only option left was to disguise myself as a giant finch or a blackbird.

Originally, the site housed a hotel, at least in the early 1900s. Shortly after, in 1912, the premises were converted. An entrepreneur purchased the property and set up his workshop for manufacturing insoles. The business experienced a significant boom across Europe, eventually employing up to 150 people.

After the Second World War, the director's son-in-law—an enterprising industrialist—branched out into manufacturing plastic goods: sandals, bathroom cabinets, and garden furniture. The factory quickly became too cramped, and this branch of activity was moved to Grenoble. The production of insoles, however, remained strictly localized here.

Activity continued on these premises until 2013. Due to the general dilapidation of the buildings, manufacturing was transferred to brand-new, state-of-the-art facilities north of the town. There, the tradition of insole manufacturing lives on, now at the absolute cutting edge of technology.

The factory is organized around rather old, somewhat weathered, yet very clean premises. The complex is U-shaped, with the street-facing section primarily containing offices. I had heard rumors that some sewing machines still remained. As the tour progressed, I began to think the real estate developers had already cleared out this heritage. However, one detail bothered me: while I could clearly match the shape of the windows to my references, I couldn't find the pillar with the four cement stains.

I was two kilometers away on my journey home when it started "gnawing at me," as they say. U-turn! I went back. Time for another visit from the giant finch! This time, after rummaging around for quite a while, I finally understood and discovered this little marvel of abandoned sewing machines. It’s true—if you don't know where they are, you could search for a long time. One very happy giant blackbird took his leave, and won't be bothering anyone again.