You are at the old charcoal kiln location. In the past, coal was used as fuel for metallurgical uses.
Up until 1940, it was made in the forest. The charcoal maker lived in a hut near his workplace.
The construction of the furnace consisted of piling some coal carefully chosen and set around a stake and of covering the stack with hay, then earth. After, the stake is taken out so as to pour two buckets of embers in the hole which was refilled after being lit.
Whilst steaming for several days (between 10 and 14 days for a stack of 50 to 80 steres of hardwood), it needed constant supervision. After slowly cooling down, the stack is opened and the scattered coal is put into a bag. A ton of fresh wood produces about 100kg of coal.
Office de Tourisme du Pays de Langres - BP16 - 52201 Langres cedex - Tél : 03 25 87 67 67 - Fax : 03 25 87 73 33