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2015A la Rose des Vents
A la Rose des Vents
Travel Photography | Lost Places | France
Winds of change
Taking a different route as usual from Germany to the Atlantic coast for a surfing holiday in September 2015 led to the chance discovery of a relict from slower times long gone.
It’s hot and the humidity level rises. A hint of late summer thunderstorm is in the air. The glass sunroof is tilted open, the electrically operated shades of the Crystal Lite Roof are closed and the wind deflectors on the doors do a good job of providing draft free ventilation, trying their best to keep the temperature in the cabin agreeable. The 2.4 liter four petrol engine hums along quietly, thanks to the balance shaft filtering out second order frequencies. The French country road speed limit elicits exactly the right frequencies from the rough asphalt, reminding me of long travel days during my childhood.
The long straight road curves to the right, the warm light of the low afternoon sun is blinding and I flip down the sun visor. Soft bass from the subwoofer massages the backrest, and the Bali Chill-out CD beats harmonize perfectly with the speed. A sign approaches. Its triangular shape is clearly visible against the light. I brake gently, recognize the small additional sign STOP 150 m, and let the car roll to the white line. The cross street is a busy Route National at this time of day and it takes quite a while for the traffic to leave a sufficiently large gap. Enough time to let my gaze wander. Diagonally across the intersection is an old building with the inscription A La Rose des Vents.
Interesting name I think, while accelerating to make use of a gap in traffic. As I have to wait for my friends in the second van anyway, I pull over and stop. A short break never hurts and provides a welcome possibility to stretch the legs. Taking a closer look at the building, I notice more letters painted on the wall. Painted? No, first impression fooled me here. The letters are not painted, but artfully crafted three-dimensionally: GARAGE, DEPANNAGE, TRAN…
Upon closer inspection, the letters are not carved from wood, but poured concrete. The building seems abandoned and I take a sneak peek through the windows.
Meanwhile my friends have made it across as well, our curiosity is piqued and we slowly walk through the undergrowth around the building while admiring the attention to detail.
On the main building is a set of the same concrete letters, advertising GARAGE and MECANIQUE GENERALE. This side of the building is not as pure architecturally because an annex has been added to the southern side at a later stage. Judging the annex by size, it may have been used a workshop for larger vehicles or possibly housed an automated car wash (lavage auto)?
One of the doors is open and we step inside. It is considerably cooler and feels like we teleported into an analog past where it’s still 1983, according to the newest item we find: a Banque Populaire Franche-Comté wall calendar.
Part of the lower floor has been used as an electronics shop for some time. It looks like they sold and repaired radios and TV sets, some of which are still present on lovely old tables.
The building itself still is solid for the most part and slowly falling apart in some areas. We go upstairs but have to tread carefully as part of the staircase and upper floor had partially collapsed already due to the leaking roof.
The small petrol station shop facing the N19 (E54) is more or less intact and looking out of the window makes it easy to imagine generations of customers in new Berliet, Citroën, Peugeot, Renault, Simca and other French vehicles stopping for Essence and Diesel decades ago.
From the main building we go back outside and it suddenly feels unreal to see cars with plastic bumpers driving past. The heat is now very sultry and after inspecting some of the detached buildings we decide to move on, leaving this magical place behind with a sad foreboding that we may never see it again.
Back on the road I reminisce what it may have been like to experience it a couple of decades earlier, before Autoroutes, multi-lane roads and cheaper supermarket petrol stations began to kill all the small stations service dotted around the country.
The exact date of when it was founded will likely remain a mystery but google turned up an image of a postcard that looks like it is from the 1930s. Initially a one story building, the second floor has been added at a later point in time.
Lost places are most often troubled by vandalism, but the remote location has saved this old service station from the worst. There are only some windows broken, few graffiti and most of the destruction we found was likely due to general decay, weather or storm events. Documents have been taken out of drawers, various things have been moved around and many items have most likely been stolen over time. According to the urban explorer code of leaving only foot prints and taking only pictures we kept our hands in the pockets.
Once again it proves that traveling on a path less traveled often leads to surprising places. Really glad we had the chance to experience this special place in September 2015.
Update 2019
Garage Station Service A La Rose des Vents has been demolished.
I now regret not taking the Shell Super 200 oil can. It would have been a nice souvenir and reminder of a once beautiful building – a thriving place that unfortunately does not exist any more.
Location
Départment Haute Marne | 52500 Fayl-Billot | D460 / N19
Links
https://www.citrowagon.fr/756_garage_fantome.html
https://mini-racing.forumactif.com/t8006-garage-de-reve
https://www.citrowagon.fr/790_garage_fantome_la_fin.html
https://www.facebook.com/groups/132698797553810/posts/674670133356671/
Sebastian Motsch | instagram @drivebysnapshots