The Pays-Fort
The Pays-Fort is a small natural region in the north of the Cher department, and its name comes from the fact that in a few kilometers, one passes from a "strong" country, a country of fertile bocage, to a "weak" country, a country of moors and forests, unfit for cultivation. And the pyramidal barns are emblematic of the peasant architecture of the Pays-Fort.
The pyramidal barns
Their origin is rather mysterious. They resemble certain ancient constructions in Germanic or Scandinavian countries, and it is even possible that they are a distant memory of the Visigoths. There used to be about sixty of them, but only about thirty remain today, along which a panoramic road circuit passes that allows you to see them from a distance, as they are all on private land.
The pyramidal barn of Vailly-sur-Sauldre
This is the only one that can be visited. In fact, the poor thing was made to travel a bit, since it was dismantled from its original location, where it had been installed since the fifteenth century, to be reassembled where it is now, hosting the tourist information office of Vailly-sur-Sauldre.
This type of barn is impressive for its height, which is around 15 meters, and for the long slopes of its roof, which rest directly on the walls at the periphery. The extremely precise organization of the beams of the frame means that there are no load-bearing walls.
This barn presents a small eco-museum with a collection of agricultural materials of yesterday and today
Pyramidal barn
Information office of Vailly-sur-Sauldre
2, route de Concressault
18260 Vailly-sur-Sauldre
Tel : 02 48 54 08 21
accueil@tourisme-sancerre.com
https://www.tourisme-sancerre.com/
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