It was like a polarised roller-coaster ride, a downward spiral to the deep end of a land of mystery. Never had I any anticipation that an exit of a medieval town could end up discovering a peaceful heritage within the gorges of the valley of Durolle river at Thiers...six hundred years ago, it was the industrial centre of paper production. Consider the natural features at the area with fast-running water of Durolle serving as motion generation for energy and transportation needs, together with rich calcium of the water source fostering paper production, it was logical that intensive industrial development took place in the past. The area evolved with the prosperous development of cutlery production in Thiers to become a fortress with substantial cutlery production in the following centuries. There were knives, scissors and razors exporting from the valley everyday during its era. Human activities keep on generating, and with other establishment of production areas in the country, the valley lost its colour in the revolution. The physical being does maintain its character, and so there are blocks of obsolete industrial sites remaining along the river where I was able to pass by. The names of the factory labelling on the brick facade fade, but the dignity of the building leaves behind. Similar to many urban renewal projects in the world, one of the cutlery factories, Creux de l'enfer, was occupied and adapted to become a contemporary art centre.
