The building
The Manufacture Ardennaise de Boulons et Ferrures de Wagons was created in 1884 by an engineer of Arts et Métiers, Emile DESPAS (1846-1925).
This nut and bolt factory is especially characteristic of the second industrial revolution, which began in the late 19th century. The building consisted of a series of 15 brick bays, its large half-arched metal windows providing it with light. The machines were set in motion by steam and hydraulic power. Nearby, on a short river bypass just downstream from the Levrézy dam, there was a micro-power station that supplied the factory with electricity
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In 1960, the Ardennes Manufacture became the Ardennes-Champagne Stamping and Forging Company (SEFAC). the plant is moved to Monthermé in 1968,
The site is partly destroyed in 1980. During the summer of 1989, the ATIMA* association transferred its exhibition to a bay of the disused Manufacture Ardennaise. The latest museum version opened in May 2009 in two bays of the Manufacture.
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*Association Traditions et Innovations Métallurgiques Ardennaises