Tourism Forges les Eaux

The richness of its soil iron allowed the development of Forges-les-Eaux in the Gallo-Roman times. There remains also the remains of an iron factory in the Middle Ages including the blast furnace but also channels providing water supply to provide the driving force of the two paddle wheels.

Water is also a valuable resource in the sixteenth, in fact the town became a resort attracting many famous personalities such as Louis XIII and Anne of Austria. The qualities ferruginous water forges proved beneficial to the sick.

During the nineteenth century, a casino was built in the heart of the city to entertain spa guests of the time. It was rebuilt after a fire and now ranks among the top fifteen in France.

Forges-les-Eaux also experienced an important development with the creation of Ceramics in the eighteenth century by an Englishman named George Wood. Production was important during the nineteenth century was characterized into two categories: fine china (white clay) and black asses (thick red clay).