A town shaped for the trade
Thiers is built on a spur above the Durolle valley, at the gateway to the Livradois-Forez. Its old town, its half-timbered houses and its sloping lanes recall its long history. Knife-making developed there as early as the Middle Ages, and over the centuries the town became the leading cutlery center in France.
The Durolle, a driving force
It all starts with a river. Rushing down the gorges below the town, the Durolle offers a steep drop that people fitted with dams and wheels: these waterwheels drove the sharpening stones and the forge machines. Along the river, in what is known as the Vallée des Usines (Valley of the Factories), workshops and industrial buildings followed one another, clinging to the banks.
The grinders, an enduring image
The best-known trade in Thiers is that of the grinder, responsible for sharpening blades on the grindstone. Photographs from the early 20th century show them lying face down above the stone, often with their dog lying on their legs to keep them warm in damp, cold workshops. This image has become one of the symbols of the town.
Know-how shared among many hands
A Thiers knife traditionally went through many stages: forging, grinding, assembly, polishing, each of which could be entrusted to a different specialist. This division of labor explains the density of businesses in the Thiers area. Even today, a large share of the knives made in France come from Thiers and its surroundings.
Le Thiers, a knife for a whole town
In the 1990s, Thiers cutlers gathered in a brotherhood defined a shared model, named Le Thiers, to give the town a folding knife bearing its name. Several makers produce it, each with their own interpretation, and it has become one of the emblems of local knife-making.
Visiting Thiers
The Musée de la Coutellerie (Cutlery Museum), in the old town, traces this history. The Vallée des Usines can be explored on foot, along the Durolle, and the town can be discovered lane by lane, from a half-timbered house to a cutler's shop window.
Thiers and Maison Mouche
Most of our tableware is made in Thiers. Our champagne saber, with an oak handle and oak stand, is made there from design to finishing by a partner cutler. Our beech cutting board and its three knives with fixed olive wood handles, held by magnets, like our table knife, are made there from design to finishing by artisans. Our openwork metal bread basket is made in Thiers too. Find them in our Tableware collection, to bring a little of this history to your table.