Firminy

Together architectural coherent, the district of Firminy-Vert is built according to the principles of the charter of Athens written in 1933: a district which meets the needs for the body, the heart and the spirit, within a framework where sun, space and greenery are dominant. It integrates all the services now traditional but revolutionary at the time. With a its thousand of residences, Firminy-Vert was to have a conclusive value.
This district received the Price of Town planning in 1961. Today, Firminy-Vert is the site protected and labellized of Europe which shelters the greatest number of works of Le Corbusier, after that of Chandigarh in India.

Le Corbusier signs three religious buildings throughout the world. The church of Firminy-Vert is the last. The monument is at the same time humble and masterly. The church has an overcome square base of a cone truncated in bevel which carries a small bell-tower at right angles. Especially, it carries out the synthesis of religious work of the architect: guns with light illuminant the furnace bridge at certain periods of the year, examination, ways spiritual…. Its construction knew dark moments with several interruptions; in 1973, the building site opens to finish in… 2006. The low part, dedicated initially to the parochial activities, loses her religious vocation. Its 1000 m2 will accomodate an antenna of the Museum of modern art of Saint-Etienne metropolis.

If the first traces of the masonry date from the XV century, this is at the XVIII century that was built the current residence. Interior decoration is of style Louis XVI. The town of Firminy and the Company of History stuck, since 1993, to make restore the parts external and interior of the building. The castle is today one ecomuseum; it presents in particular a pilot mine. It also accomodates many exposures; it also presents since 2002 a conservatory vegetable garden. The building was registered in the Additional inventory of the Historic buildings in 1975. The castle of Bruneaux is open every afternoon of the week except Monday like non-working every days except Christmas, the Day of Year and All Saints' day.

The museum of the Sappers Firemen of Firminy is the second of France by its importance. There exists, indeed, few establishments of the same type to approach the topic of the soldiers of fire. All the richness of this museum holds in its vehicle fleet including more than 150 parts. Following recent work, it will be opened with the public from now on all the year.