The Moulin à Papier de Brousses et Villaret paper mill is located in Brousses, near Carcassonne (France). This is one of the last paper mini-mills in Europe, combining manual paper production with the organization of workshops and excursions for children and adults.
Brousses-et-Villaret is a commune located in the Aude department in the Occitania region.
Historically and culturally, the town is part of the Montagne Noire, a mountain massif constituting the southern edge of the Massif Central. Exposed to an altered oceanic climate, it is drained by the Dure and the Linon.
Brousses-et-Villaret is a rural commune which has 338 inhabitants in 2021, after having experienced a sharp increase in population since 1975. It is part of the Carcassonne catchment area. Its inhabitants are called Broularetois or Broularetoises.
Paper Workshop
As you know, until the second half of the 19th century, paper production in Europe was from rags (shabby clothes, clobbers). The fabric used was linen, hemp or cotton.
The Moulin à Papier de Brousses et Villaret mill uses cotton fabrics today to produce colored paper (they use for example blue jeans to make blue paper in different shades). They make white paper from cellulose, flax and hemp. Dry timber contains approximately 40% cellulose. The rest of the timber contains various polymers consisting of various types of sugars, including fructose, complex substances (phenol alcohols), various tannins, salts of magnesium, sodium and potassium, and essential oils.
One can use paper that the mill produces for any graphic art: writing, calligraphy, drawing, watercolors, typography, binding, engraving, framing, typographic printing, photography, and for inkjet printing.
They make gigantic paper sheets here: 2.20 m x 3.40 m. Therefore, this place is very popular among artists, decorators, and various art projects’ designers. They can make up to three of these sheets per day. Such work requires the participation of eight to ten people. It is a real show! The sheets need several days to dry before they can be used.
Visiting: the mill hosts guided tours and workshops for children and adults.
Rates:
8.50 euro – adult
5 Euro – primary and secondary school student
7 euro – college student, student
free – children under 5 years old
Excursion + paper workshop:
(Visiting a paper mill, making paper sheets).
Duration – three hours.
16 euros – child from 5 to 12 years old
21 euros – adult (from 13 years old)
Advance reservation required.
How to get to?
From Paris: 7 hr 55 min (773 km) via A20
From Toulouse: 1 hr 18 min (97.8 km) via A61
From Andorra: 3 hr 3 min (185 km) via N20
From Barcelona: 4 hr 19 min (333 km) via AP-7
From Madrid: 8 hr 59 min (891 km) via A-1 and A64
From Monaco: 5 hr 18 min (514 km) via A8 and A9
From Moscow: 37 hr (3,439 km) via E30/M1
From Belgrade: 18 hr 57 min (1,817 km) via E70
From Istanbul: 29 hr (2,766 km) via E70
From Bern: 7 hr 31 min (772 km) via A9
See here Pyrenees travel guide
See here France travel guide
See here Spain travel guide
