The beautiful Grand Forge de Buffon sits 23km north of Semur-en-Auxois on the pastoral banks of the Brenne Canal. One of the first fully integrated factories, it was built in 1778 by Georges-Louis Leclerc, the Count of Buffon and a mathematician and naturalist. The forge's existing buildings include a blast furnace that was used for casting molten metals and a supply channel with paddlewheel. Take the D980 north from Semur-en-Auxois, then the D905, following signs for the village of Buffon.
Grand Forge du Buffon
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