The ancient Glassworks of Mas de Baumes

With the development of towns and demographic growth, industrial demand for wood and heat increased. In particular, the consumption of wood coal grew drastically after the French Revolution. The sustainable management of forests began to require national laws.

The Middle Ages was a period of intense land clearing. Previously wooded areas were cleared to make room for cultivated crops. The wood obtained in the process was used as fuel in limestone and glass ovens, as well as being transformed into coal. The "woodsmen" living under shelters far away from villages may be differentiated according to the very specialized tasks they each undertook. Woodcutters and bark, coal, and glass artisans all shared the forest.

The last wood-fired glasswork to operate on the Causse de l'Orthus, the existence of Baumes was first recorded in 1355. Established after the La Seube glassworks were abandoned, Baumes was owned by two important families of noble glassmakers, the Girards and the La Roques.

The ovens functioned between 1515 and 1625.
It was not until 1790 that the glassworks' activities ended completely. Remains of the ovens may still be seen as they are integrated into the architecture of the farm and in the surrounding embankments.

A place of both work and residence, the Baumes hamlet was the site of numerous agricultural and pastoral activities testified by the threshing ground, barns, the bread oven, and the fresh water well…

In 1792, the Baumes Glassworks was foreclosed and the furniture of the farm sold. The site remained the seat of agricultural activity, principally oriented around livestock, until the 1960s.

The surrounding woods were once home to professions that have long disappeared, such as coal, bark and limestone work. The Causse has since experience a strong tendency towards desertification. Today, thanks to the popularity of ecological tourism, it is a space that has been preserved for the discovery of our history and rural patrimony.

We welcome you onto the Domaine de Baumes, which includes more than 1000 square meters of buildings and extends over 200 hectares of land.

This ancient hamlet consists of three groups of structures:
To the north are several buildings in a square around a courtyard where the remains of the 17th century glass ovens may be found.
To the northwest is a two story building overlooking an arched space, taking the place of the barn, next to a large, paved threshing ground (stop N° 12 on the walking circuit).
To the south is a large building, the former large sheep barn.