With the buildings almost all destroyed, the site of the former Paul-Ricard factory is now impressive. The destruction phase is gradually ending, as planned by the end of the year. Purchased in 1958 by Paul Ricard himself, the production site of the Pernod-Ricard company in Bessan closed its doors in 2018. Bottles of the famous anise drink have been produced there since 1965 and above all, the flavor of all production for the whole world.
With the departure of the company, a page of the site, originally a former distillery, but also a page of the history of the town had been turned. Since then, the town hall has regained control of these properties which will soon be reborn. The transformation desired by the mayor and his municipal team since the acquisition of the premises in 2021 will come to fruition in 2026. After long periods of consultation and studies, the City will create a cultural and leisure center on the site of the old buildings.
The King-Kong architectural studio, from Bordeaux, is leading the first phase of this colossal project with the construction in February of a new multipurpose room, adapted to the size of today’s village. This will be followed by a green esplanade, a memorial space around the life of Paul Ricard, a parking space, a media library, a youth and association space. The site, ideally located equidistant between the city center and the neighborhoods, is intended to be a real place to live.
Recently, as part of the destruction, one of the elements of the storage buildings was recovered. This is part of the metal frame of the main building which will be reused to connect the multipurpose room and the future media library around a new square. A link that is both real but also certainly temporal, as if to remind us that the site had a life before the new equipment. If a page is turned for the places, they will still live with the spirit of Paul Ricard.
