Lavoir à plancher mobile

Villecomte appears for the first time in 1004 under the name of "Villa Comitis". It was the country house of the Counts of Saulx. During the Revolution, Villecomte took the name of Belle Fontaine to remove the connotation of "county". From the car park, you can see a wash-house which has a particularity... In 1846, an architect from Dijon was chosen by the municipality to build the Villecomte washhouse. He chose a geographical location for the washhouse which initially caused several people to be unhappy, as the water from the washhouse, soiled by the washing, went directly into the trough situated nearby. The architect then decided to cover the washhouse with a lava roof and had two levels of sloping stones built to beat the laundry. By 1878, the lava roof was in danger of collapsing, so the lava was replaced by tiles. As the two levels of washing stones were not suitable for the variations in water level, a mobile floor was installed to follow the water level continuously. The water level varies according to the activity of the nearby mill. This floor is therefore suspended by metal rods from a shaft fitted with wheels, which is itself attached to the framework of the washhouse. A winch is attached to the back wall, on which chains are wound, allowing the floor to be raised or lowered. In 1914, soldiers set up their kitchen in the washhouse, and the mechanism was used without moderation, and the gears eventually broke. It was only in 1994 that the washhouse was restored. As you climb up, take the time to look back and you will see the hilltop village of Saulx-le-Duc.