In Vialas, close to the swimming holes, lies an impressive, abandoned stone-built factory, its countless vaults peeking out of the brambles...

On the banks of the Luech river sit the ruins of a factory consumed up by ivy – an astonishing sight. In the 19th century, this was where galena, a lead ore containing silver, was processed using deafening machinery. After being extracted from tunnels close by, the ore was sorted and processed on site. In 1847 Vialas produced one-quarter of France’s silver, and its output did not stop increasing until 1862, when it reached 1,930 kg of refined silver. Shut down in 1894, the factory has recently been rediscovered yet keeps some of its mystery intact.