Photography Photo essay

Saint-Gobain without Saint-Gobain

2 reading minutes
written by Bernard Léchot · 10 March 2024 · 0 comment

Saint-Gobain, a multinational juggling billions in sales? Yes, but also, in its shadow, a small town in Picardy, where Colbert, Louis XIV's minister, had the Royal Manufactory of Mirrors built. The glass produced at Saint-Gobain has travelled down the centuries, even to the point of adorning the Louvre Pyramid in 1986. But that was the last order... Saint-Gobain then abandoned Saint-Gobain, triggering a social upheaval in the region. A place steeped in history remains on the industrial wasteland.

Saint-Gobain Without Saint-Gobain © Bernard Léchot for Le Regard Libre Saint-Gobain Without Saint-Gobain © Bernard Léchot for Le Regard Libre Saint-Gobain Without Saint-Gobain © Bernard Léchot for Le Regard Libre Saint-Gobain Without Saint-Gobain © Bernard Léchot for Le Regard Libre Saint-Gobain Without Saint-Gobain © Bernard Léchot for Le Regard Libre

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Bernard Léchot
Bernard Léchot

Singer-songwriter, music producer, voice-over artist and photographer, Bernard Léchot delivers his monthly photo-reportage for Le Regard Libre.