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Concept
Moulin de Rouvres
Summary
The Moulin de Rouvres is a historic site in the Rouvres-en-Woëvre commune, in the French department of Meuse. It was first mentioned in the 13th century. Originally part of a farm dating back to Gallo-Roman times, it was transformed into an abbey in the 11th century. A pond, which probably predates its construction, provided a dual function for milling and fish farming. Between the 13th and 18th centuries, it became an important watermill and a major source of income for the seigneury of Rouvres-en-Woëvre.
However, faced with competition from French coastal fish and industrial gristmills, it was finally dismantled and its pond drained at the end of the 19th century. Initially transformed into a farm, it was located at the heart of the Battle of the Frontiers during World War I, then occupied by the German army and transformed into a military camp. Its proximity to the front line during the Battle of Verdun made it a strategic location, providing shelter for up to 3,000 soldiers. After the war, it returned to agricultural use, but gradually fell into disrepair. Partially restored in the early 21st century, it now houses a museum dedicated to the First World War.
The Rouvres mill lies at the southern end of the Dalle d'Étain, an Upper Bathonian marl-limestone tabular outcrop found only in north-western Lorraine. This layer is located in a transition zone between the clayey depression of the Woëvre plain (to the west) and the limestone plateau of the Pays Haut des Côtes de Moselle (to the east). The oolitic limestones of the Étain slab are much more solid than the other limestone layers of the Meuse region, and are joined at the surface by rhynchonella marl. The quality of this rock favored the development of a major extraction activity that contributed to the economic dynamism of the areas around the mill during the Middle Ages. Near Rouvres-en-Woêvre, the deposits reach depths of up to sixteen meters. A rectangular pit containing three complete vases dating from the Bronze Age was unearthed a few hundred meters from the mill.
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