The only one of its kind in France, the Conservatoire de la Fourche de Sauve, in the Gard region, unravels a mystery that has been jealously guarded for 10 centuries: the cultivation of the hackberry fork.
It was the Parliament of Toulouse who, by ordinance, gave Sauve exclusive rights to manufacture the three-pronged fork made from hackberry wood.
An ancestral tradition and unique know-how
Hackberry forks have been made in Sauve since at least the 12th century.
In the 16th century, regulations ensured the secrecy of manufacture and the monopoly of cultivation. In 1688, producers grouped together, foreshadowing the future agricultural cooperatives. These famous forks supplied royal, imperial and then republican stables. They were exported as far as Algeria for agricultural use.
With its rocky limestone soil, ideal for the development of hackberry, the village of Sauve has been able to reveal the particular characteristics of this plant species. The Sauvains have perfected an ingenious process of "fork cultivation".
These forks are made before your very eyes, still using an ancestral method, and sold to private individuals and professionals who still use them.
Since July 2003, visitors have been able to stroll through a central gallery where eight information terminals and a wall of images bring to life an entire past and explain a present.
Features
The "Fanabrègue" association, which has existed since 1993, has devoted 10 years of voluntary work to the creation of the Conservatoire de la fourche de Sauve. Since 2003, it has been housed in the historic premises where forks were made: the old "Cazernes", built in 1759. The original architecture, still very well preserved, bears inside the traces of several centuries of fork production (since 1815).
With the following characteristics :
100% natural
Entirely handmade
All in one piece (no screws, no glue, no added parts)
Very light (less than 1.5 kg for large models)
Extremely resistant
Easy to handle
Rot-proof
Animal-friendly
Antistatic
Conservatoire de la Fourche
Rue des Boisseliers,
30610 Sauve
Tel.: 04 66 80 54 46
http://fourchedesauve.free.fr/conservatoire%20fourche/visiter.htm
