The fluctuations of the silk industry

The earliest traces of the «trahandiers», or silk-pullers, go back to the 13th century in Anduze.

Arts and craft industry

At this time, almost every family «raised the silkworm and pulled the thread», a raw thread sold to the merchants. On the edge of the Cévennes, in Ganges, Vigan, Anduze or Saint Jean du Gard, the hosiery trade was fast expanding and silk stockings from the Cévennes adorned legs in all the courts of Europe.

The prosperity of silkworm breeders reached its height in the fi rst half of the 19th century - the Cévennes being one of the top silk-producing regions in the world – but it came to a brutal end due to a disease, pebrine, which ravaged whole silk farms. The Silk Museum testifies to this prestigious past. It also tells the story of this activity which, since the 1970s has been tentatively revived, making production in the Cévennes one of the last in activity in Europe.

The Silk Museum in Saint-hippolyte du Fort
Tel. 33 (0)4 66 77 66 47

Saint-hippolyte-du-Fort Tourist Office Website
Tel. 33 (0)4 66 77 25 36

Magnanerie de La roque in Florac
Tel. 33 (0)4 66 49 53 01