La marcerienne - Charleville-Mézières

Adolphe Clément, a self-taught visionary, founded a powerful industrial empire and innovated in the transport sector.

In June 1894, he had the Mézières factory built , next to a statue of the knight Bayard . In 1911, the civil court of Compiègne gave Adolphe permission to add "Bayard", a symbol of courage and loyalty, to his surname. The factory evolved through the wars and the decades, from the production of tricycles to the manufacture of bombs and grenades , before returning to its roots in automobile production .

In 1975, Dumont, CEO since 1937 and grandson of Adolphe Clément, resigned. The company ceased its activities in 1984.

By 2028, " a tourist, economic and cultural attraction centre with more than 10,000 m²" should be created here.

Willem Vandenameele