Arthez-d’Asson: Iron and Know-How Celebrates Science at Château de Pau

There is the Money Tower, in the Renaissance garden at the Château de Pau, to remind us that coin minting lasted from 1554 to 1794. The development of metallurgical, mechanical, technical, and organizational skills.

These are gold, silver and polonaise (copper base) coins with hundreds of thousands of iron and steel gear required for engraved corners. Henry IV, the grandson of the creator, realized the urgent need to move from commodity money (in other words, barter) to money of intrinsic value, and used the talent of his lieutenant Antoine de Camp to create ironworks since 1588 with the skills of the “ferrones” of Euskadi.

hydraulic rolling mill

For educational purposes, Fer et Savoir Faire presented two emblematic models of Béarn manufacture, the hydraulic rolling mill (copied from those at Augsburg and Paris) and the mailh, a gigantic hydraulic hammer made by Euskadi forgers.

Objects and illustrations raised many questions from the public, especially about counterfeit money, a topic perfectly mastered by Clovis Darrigan, of UPPA, who gave scientific answers thanks to an X-ray analyzer.

For children, the game “World Currencies” allowed them to discover the currencies of the countries of the planet. Beautiful animation that combines history, heritage and science…