Absinthe dryer, Boveresse NE

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Absinthe dryer, Boveresse NE

Built in 1893 by the Barrelet brothers, this drying house is emblematic of the Val-de-Travers’ most famous tradition: absinthe distillation. However, the ban on absinthe production in 1910 forced the building to serve various other purposes, notably as a dormitory and a storage facility for coffins during the war.

At the end of the 20th century, the Musée régional du Val-de-Travers saved it from abandonment, restored it, and enhanced its presentation – amongst other things by exhibiting objects, particularly vehicles and agricultural machinery, inside the dryer.

Its construction was dictated by its function: a raised wooden frame covered with sheet metal on the sides most exposed to rain (west, and east for the lean-tos added in 1901), with numerous openings allowing for effective ventilation – and access for numerous animal species.

Our Questions

  • How can a functionally permeable building house collections? 
  • In this context, how can the small team at the regional museum deal with the increasing biological activity caused by global warming? 
  • Is it possible to preserve original components, or will everything have to be replaced in the long term?
Piles of sawdust caused by wood-boring insects on wooden beams in the absinthe dryer in Boveresse. © HE-Arc
The small piles of sawdust indicate recent and worrying activity by wood-boring insects in the timber frame, activity that is bound to increase as temperatures rise.

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