Cherry Blossom Time

 From the Blossom to the Still, that’s where the Fougerolles Ecomuseum promises to take us by providing self-guided or guided tours in the heart of cherry country.

An ecomuseum is a museum designed to present a human activity in its economic and social context. In the region of Fougerolles in Haute-Saône, cherry growing was first an agricultural and then an industrial activity. Cherry trees numbering – it is said – more than 40,000 in Fougerolles, we are well and truly surrounded very abundantly by the raw material needed to make kirsch, that very famous brandy obtained by distilling fermented cherry juice. This potent drink was already being made in the 16th century, but it was not until the 19th century that production was expanded considerably. One of the pioneers responsible for the commercialisation of kirsch was named Desle-Joseph Aubry and it was in Petit-Fahys that he got started on his adventure. In 1829, he had a manor house built that would be the property of 9 kirsch producers successively before housing, since 1979, the Ecomuseum of Cherry Country.

In this big renovated building, one can walk in the footsteps of the past and see life as it was organised around this activity - the way people worked, how weddings took place or even how they consumed the drink they produced. Distillation and the sale of kirsch required the development of associated activities in the local economy – cooperage, glass-making, basket-making and transportation services. Besides the material aspects of life, the museum also presents beliefs and symbols associated with distillation and, it naturally honours the tree, the fruit and the consumption, economy and legislation of the alcohol. And to go right to the source of the delicious little drops, set up in a large room, there are numerous stills worked by boilers or steam. All of them date back to the end of the 19th or to the early 20th century.

During the last fifteen years, the Ecomuseum of Fougerolles Cherry Country has undertaken numerous improvements to offer visitors a complete overview of both the technical and the historical aspects of the subject. Extensive architectural work has been done – the prize for architecture in the Greater East was won in 2005 for the entire site. More recently in 2007, all the museography was redesigned and sounds and images now accompany the new scenography. The Base, a big building at the lower level, has been recently opened out onto an orchard growing varieties of cherry that no longer exist in the village. From the attic and its impressive structural framework, one has a great view of the countryside around Fougerolles. Those who wish to stroll through the world of cherries and distillation can visit at their ease. Or you could call ahead for a guided tour.

Ecomusée du pays de la cerise
206, le petit-Fahys
70220 Fougerolles
Tél. : 03 84 49 52 50

For further information about the ecomuseum : www.musees-des-techniques.org/fougerolles.php