Les Fermes du Moyen Age (FR)
More than just an eco-museum, this village is a living memory of the past. Stemming from his passion of the rural life of the Middle Ages, Pierre Gire had the idea of reconstructing a farming village of the end of the 15th century.
Located in 12 hectares of exceptional countryside with views of the Auvergne Volcanoes, this eco-museum comprises a Hamlet of Farms, a Mill, a Church and gardens in a rural setting typical of its time. After 25 years of historical, archaeological and ethnographic research, Pierre Gire started to lay the foundation of the farming village in 2005. Pierre and his father built the first two farms in 15 months, and the Village opened up to the public in July 2006. Over the years, other features of a traditional peasant village were added, creating an almost complete medieval village, with its cottages and barns, its crops bordered by dry stone walls, its vegetable garden and its domestic animals (cows, goats, pigs and chickens), and so on. Part of the materials used come from older buildings of Xainthrie, and the rest were constructed according to the medieval style.
Today, the Farm has become a landmark for thousands of visitors, who appreciate the authenticity of the village and its spirit, intrigued by the fact that it is actually inhabited throughout the year by Pierre and his animals.