The Gütermann Silk Factory of Perosa Argentina

Perosa Argentina is a mountain town near Turin that was a centre of silk manufacturing. Max Gütermann created a company in Vienna to manufacture silk thread for sewing in 1864. Because he needed soft water, he opened a factory in Switzerland in 1867 and then at Perosa Argentina in 1883. The Italian factory was integrated to have all processes from the raw silk to the final reels of thread. The large factory buildings continued to develop on both sides of the river Chisone. The company provided houses for workers, a kindergarten and schools. The factory closed in 2001 but the buildings survive, many in mixed commercial use. A heritage association started in 1996 has created a documentation centre at the Mulino shopping mall. It organises tours around the town, the hydroelectric power plant, the mill buildings and the Gütermann villa. Visitors can take the 2-kilometre tour with a map downloaded from the website or book a personal guide from the tourist office.