Louis Renault is a talented engineer. He invented the direct transmission gear box and patented it in 1898. With his invention, he made a fortune and began a series of land acquisitions at Boulogne. Louis Renault bought the Ile Seguin in the late 20s. First it was supposed to be a recreation area for workers, it will eventually build a new plant next to existing ones. In November 1929, the new plant is inaugurated. Work will continue a few more years.

The Seguin Island plant is fully autonomous and ultra modern. The power plant is designed to operate with multiple fuels (coal or oil).

All the production of vehicles is centralized, but the engines are still being built across the Seine. Robert Doisneau tooked pictures of the spinning of asbestos, foundry metallurgical, workshop tire manufacturing, ...

In 1936, the Renault plant is a symbol of working class struggle with its largest concentration of strikers in France. His reputation will not be denied until the plant closure.

During WWII, the plant is working with the Nazis. Louis Renault gone to jail. The plant was nationalized and in 1947 the 4cv is the success of the National Board of the Renault. 10,000 workers employed on the island. 40,000 workers employed on the site.

During the events of 1968, the island is a symbol of unionism. Workers get more social advances.

The last models produced by the plant are the Super 5 and the Express (a commercial vehicle based on the Super 5). On March 31, 1992, the range and stops the plant closes, now too small to produce new models.

Abandoned the island to be destroyed. The yard is huge and companies are fighting for the tender. The main thing is forgotten: The site must be cleared. The power plant is full of asbestos and the entire basement of the island is bathed by many chemicals. While the plant was emptied in a few months, the destruction tooked 13 years.

source: Legag.com(FR)

Quarries of Paris - Showroom mineralogy of the Rue Saint Jacques.

The showroom mineralogical most famous of Paris is the Salle Saint-Jacques. It was constructed by Major Gambier in the heart of the underground quarry system of the GRS (Great South network), just false catacombs at Denfert-Rochereau, in fact ossuaries in old underground quarries.

The side benches were used to display the site's geological curiosities. At the center of the room, a staircase dummy materialized superposition of limestone beds of the place. Each step was a sample. Originally, the name of each geological layer of rock was inscribed on the front steps of each room but this was very bumpy because too many visitors have visited illegal.

Can be found in certain geological showroom more difficult to access such information.

source: website of Zedou(FR)

The construction of the castle Regnéville-sur-Mer dates from the ninth century. The castle was the witness of many battles between French and English during the Hundred Years War. In the 17th century, the fortress was destroyed by order of Cardinal Richelieu. One wall of the castle flew to the bottom of the church. Today, there are only very little of the original castle (there is a tower collapsed at half) but this crypt is still beautifully preserved.

Paper mills are based Landes November 8, 1927. At the time, the paper needs are important and France imports a lot of paper. The plant produces between 12 and 15 tons of paper. In 1934, the plant is in bankruptcy. Another company bought the paper industrial plant (pine cellulose). The mill changed its name to the company of stationers Roquefort.

At maximum activity, the factory employed 500 people in the manufacture of paper and kraft paper. In 1975, the company produces 125 tons of paper per day.

On June 28, 1978, the company ceases all activities and selling buildings. Other buildings are leased to small businesses. 20 years later, there were still huge abandoned buildings. Nobody made the decision to destroy them because it cost too much.

source: Website of Yves Roumazeilles(FR/EN)

The sky train, the train on air cushion. Bertin The company developed several prototypes of this type of train. The test tracks were built in 1965. The smallest to the Gometz Chatel and the largest near Orleans, over 20 kilometers long.

The concrete track is shaped like an inverted T. The world record speed for a vehicle air-cushion was established March 5, 1974. The record speed is 430 km / h. In June 1974, the company Bertin sign a contract for the construction of a high-speed line between the town of Cergy and business district "La Défense". A few months later, the French government reversed its decision and abandon the project.

The failure of the project has several assumptions:
- The oil crisis of 1973.
- Lobbying by the company National Railways (SNCF) and the metallurgic industry.

The engineer Jean Bertin died December 21, 1975. In 1978, the permanent cessation of testing. The prototypes are still 14 years in the hangar. Then the hangar is the victim of arson. The test track Gometz le Châtel no longer exists. It has been replaced by a tunnel bypass to relieve the downtown traffic jams.

Orleans-Saran line still dominates the fields of the campaign. That would be too expensive to demolish it, especially since it nobody.

source: Wikipedia

Although converted to the cultivation of mushrooms in the 80s, humidity was not too damaged facilities. Note the conservation of paintings. Everything is spot on!

This wine is awesome. Lafleur castle 1982. But too expensive for me.

The picture is tilted, but the ground too!

From the top of a church tower of the Hotel-Dieu de Lyon.

Quarries of Paris - The network located in the Val de Grace hospital.

The old quarries of the Val de Grace are medieval. They were exploited from the 13th century to 16th century.

In 1621, Anne of Austria asked Louis XIII transfer Benedictine nuns of the Convent of Bievre in Paris. The venue was the current location of the Val de Grace.

In 1638, the architect Francois Mansart began construction of a church and an abbey. In digging the foundations, he discovers that he is above old underground quarries. These voids are surveyed, mapped and consolidated. But Mansart spending too much money and who is the architect Lemercier completed the job.

For the purposes of work, workers have built a staircase to the underground quarries and give the name of Mansart.