The town of Ollières-sur-Eyrieux is located in the Ardèche department, in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region, 18 km north of Privas (by road).
Its territory of 7.5 km² is located in the Eyrieux valley, a tributary of the Rhône which crosses the locality from west to east. Hilly, the town oscillates from 157 to 600 m above sea level, with a green character, mainly covered with forests (60% of its area).
If the existence of the village is attested from the Middle Ages, it was at the beginning of the 18th century that Les Ollières-sur-Eyrieux saw the establishment of a large milling center to produce and process silk. This industry was still developing in the 19th century with weaving factories employing hundreds of workers, many of them from neighboring towns. The development of a railway linking the Rhône valley to the Haute-Loire further boosts activity. However, its decline was announced during the interwar period and the factories closed after the Second World War. The arboreal culture (focused in particular on fishing) and tourism have taken over on the economic level. Composed of several entities, Les Ollières-sur-Eyrieux (approximately 1000 inhabitants), ideally located between Privas, the Rhône Valley and Vivarais, legitimately attract holidaymakers in search of an authentic environment, calm and varied leisure activities!
It is the Ollières bridge, a work of art mentioned as early as 1285, which happens to be the oldest heritage site in the locality. Spanning the Eyrieux, it linked Privas to Le Puy and pilgrims took it to then reach Santiago de Compostela. The bridge also facilitated trade to sell wines and products from Bas-Vivarais in the mountains. Several times washed away by the floods, it was replaced in 1858 by a suspension bridge and then in 1891 by the current bridge.
In this region very marked by the wars of Religion and which remained a bastion of Protestantism, and even then, the temple rebuilt in 1891. As for the Catholic church, it dates from 1885, built in a neo-Gothic style very popular at the time. It then succeeded an older building dependent on the neighboring parish of Saint-Fortunat…
It should be noted in passing that the locality has two cemeteries located on either side of the river, each having long been dedicated to Catholic families or Protestant.
The Grande Rue, once very commercial, because it is through it that the employees of the silk factories came to work or returned to the neighboring villages, and the picturesque rue de la Chapelle are also to be discovered. It is finally time then to apprehend the district of the old factories whose machines were actuated by the hydraulic force of the Eyrieux. In the 1970s, a large part of the industrial premises were acquired by the municipality and rehabilitated (medical center, housing, cultural facilities). However, elements of the silks of yesteryear such as a large square fireplace bear witness to this singular past...
On the cultural side, therefore, it is in this district that the library is located, which regularly schedules events (contact on +33 4 75 64 09 16) and also the associative cinema "l'Image buissonnière". Sessions take place on Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday evenings. Price: 3 and 5 euros. Information on +33 4 75 66 30 64.
In another register, fishermen have a quality potential with the waters of Eyrieux: information on regulations and suitable sites from the local association on +33 6 10 69 15 93.
The river is also suitable for canoeing: contact Eyrieux Sports on +33 6 69 39 86 08. This same organization also rents bicycles or rosalies. Departures are from Théoule beach where swimming is authorized and supervised in July and August. Information on +33 4 75 66 20 45.
The hilly and green environment of the foothills of the Ardèche mountains and the valley give rise to a number of marked hiking trails. However, in this respect, the most popular route is the "Dolce Via", a ribbon of gentle and safe lane accessible to pedestrians and mountain bikers built on the old railway line. In total, from Les Ollières-sur-Eyrieux, there are thus more than 90 km of shared route available which heads towards the Rhône valley to the east or the hills to the west. For hikes and the "Dolce Via", maps and information on +33 4 75 20 81 81.
