Objects

in the Bas-Rhin department of France, in the historic region of Alsace, and is situated on the communes of Boersch and Ottrott. Klingenthal, meaning "Blade Valley" or "The Valley of Blades" in Alsatian and German, was host to a large manufacturer of various types of edged weapons and metal armour during the 18th and 19th centuries. Klingenthal was the first Royal Weapons Manufactory in France, and was largely inspired by methods pioneered in Solingen, another major sword-producing town in western Germany.The Solingen Manufactory was the first to develop an infrastructure for the mass-production of weapons, and at the beginning of 18th century was outfitting many of the European armies including the French Royal Army. Under the reign of Louis XV, acknowledging the critical dependency on foreign imports to equip the army, French authorities decided to mimic the organization that had succeeded in Solingen by creating their own national blade manufacturing centre. The site at Klingenthal was preferable due to the local presence of iron ore, and sandstone which was used primarily in the grinders for honing and sharpening the blades. The site´s proximity to the Vosges mountains allowed for easy access to mountain streams, for the purposes of hydraulic power. Craftsmen were hired from Solingen in order to import the manufacturing process, communication with whom was aided by the local dialect, which was close to their native German." - (en.wikipedia.org 30.01.2020)

• Latitude48.469722747803
• Longitude7.409722328186