Prefecture, peddlers’ museum, Soulcem pond dam… Our top 5 sites to visit in Ariège during Heritage Days

The Peddlers’ Museum

For over 10 years, in the town of Soueix-Rogalle, an original museum has opened its doors. This museum puts visitors back in the atmosphere of a real shop from the end of the 19th century and the peddlers of Haut Couserans. It is the Souquet house that houses this old shop which was intended to be both a grocery store but also a hardware store, a haberdashery, a jeweler.

This place also served as a place of supply for peddlers. The latter were also greatly awaited in the villages because they brought news of the world and new things. An exceptionally rich heritage for this preservation and enhancement project led by the municipality, with the support of the Soueix-Rogalle heritage association.

Peasant Wool Cooperative

On the occasion of Heritage Day, the cooperative “Laines Paysannes”, which promotes local wool from Ariège through collections of clothing, home accessories and rugs woven on site in Saverdun, is offering a visit to its weaving workshop.

This Saturday, Laines Paysannes will invite the curious to delve into the heart of the French wool industry and explore the fascinating world of wool, from the sheep to the finished product, in order to learn more about this subject that promotes local wools and Ariège artisanal know-how. On the program: visits to the farm and the cooperative by reservation, tasting of apple juice from the farm, exhibitions and demonstrations of sorting and weaving.

The prefecture of Ariège

The Ariège prefecture building is exceptionally open to the public on this heritage day. Guided tours are organized within these walls which were those of the abbey of Saint-Volusien between the 12th century and the French Revolution. The building became the department’s prefecture in 1800 when the prefects were created by Napoleon Bonaparte.

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In this place full of history, visitors will be able to discover the main courtyard, the reception rooms, the monks’ kitchen, the medieval garden backing onto the Saint-Volusien abbey, the rose garden and the perfectly maintained English-style park. A fencing demonstration will be offered to echo this Olympic year.

Terride Castle

This weekend, a historical tour is offered at the Château de Terride in Mirepoix. This building, which fascinates with its history, was in a way the beating heart of the city before the devastating flood of 1289 which forced Mirepoix to rebuild itself on the other bank of the Hers. This fortress aroused the covetousness of the powerful and is notably part of the very strong Cathar history in the east of Ariège.

In this eleven-century-old building, visitors will be able to admire Terride’s spectacular fortification and defense system. In addition to its major historical and architectural interest, the visits will allow the curious to learn more about the archaeological studies and the work in progress and to come to safeguard the gate tower and its chapel, under the aegis of the Castel Artès association and the Drac.

The Soulcem pond dam

This is an unusual visit that is offered in Soulcem. The Ariège heritage is also hydroelectricity and this is what will be shown during this heritage day. EDF thus proposes to follow the employees during a unique visit of this dam, built between 1980 and 1983 and which is located at an altitude of 1,570 m.

This 66-metre dam is part of EDF Hydro Auzat, a group of plants that produces 427 GWh on average per year, the equivalent of the annual electricity consumption of a town of around 200,000 inhabitants. This visit will allow visitors to understand how a hydroelectric facility works and its challenges by entering the heart of the dam.