Discover Azannes-Et-Soumazannes through its crafts and village history: at the Village des Vieux Métiers d’Azannes, more than 80 traditional crafts are demonstrated in practice; the Église Saint-André stands in the village center. The 28-meter-high Moulin à vent des Roises towers above the Écomusée buildings. When planning your visit, the main consideration is whether you want to explore the Village at your own pace or include a guided craft activity.

The Village: A Historic Village and Its Crafts

The Village des Vieux Métiers d’Azannes is a faithful reconstruction of a Lorraine village from the 19th and early 20th centuries. More than 80 traditional crafts are demonstrated in practice there. The combination of the reconstructed village and its craft demonstrations makes it an interesting place if you want to learn more not only about historic buildings but also about craftwork. You can visit the Village independently and at your own pace. This lets you focus on individual demonstrations or take in the Village as a whole, without having to follow a set pace.

Try Your Hand at a Craft

The basket-weaving course introduces participants to traditional willow weaving. Under the guidance of a master basket weaver, they make a small basket. This combines learning a craft technique with hands-on work with the material; the basket is the tangible result of the course. Course availability may vary, so check before including it in your plans.

“Graine de détective” offers a different kind of hands-on activity: this educational treasure hunt takes participants through the Village. It focuses on riddles and searching, while the basket-weaving course centers on working with willow rods. Conditions for group or school bookings may change, so check them in advance.

The “Du blé au pain” program is for school students and gives them the chance to take part in making bread, from the grain of wheat to baking in a wood-fired oven. Each child takes home a bread roll and a small bag of flour; these take-home items may change. The activity focuses on the individual steps from grain to finished bread, rather than treating bread only as a finished product.

Church and Windmill

The Église Saint-André stands in the center of the village and has long been a historic place for community gatherings. It was destroyed after the First World War and rebuilt. Its history offers two perspectives: the church’s role as a place where the community came together, and its reconstruction after the war.

The Moulin à vent des Roises draws attention to another landmark. The 28-meter-high windmill towers above the Écomusée buildings. While the demonstrations in the Village put crafts in the spotlight, the church and the mill offer other perspectives on local history: the community role of a central gathering place and a distinctive landmark in the Écomusée grounds.

Explore Crafts and History Your Way

The activities take different forms: you can visit the Village at your own pace, while the basket-weaving course offers guided work with willow rods and a small basket as the result. “Graine de détective” is an educational treasure hunt, and “Du blé au pain” takes school students from wheat grain to baking bread. This lets you choose between exploring independently, taking part in a craft activity, and joining an educational group program. The church and windmill add perspectives on village history and local landmarks.

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