The oldest factory of Nuutajärvi Glass was founded in 1793, and it is the oldest glass factory in Finland that is still in function. It was founded by the local manor owners, Jakob Wilhelm de Pont and Harald Furuhjelm who were granted to manufacture window glass and other glass products.
Johan Agapetus Törngren bought the manor and glass factory in 1843. His son Adolf Törngren extended Nuutajärvi production strongly in the 1850s and for example hired Belgian and French experts to increase the quality of glass. He also restructured the factory site and other buildings to a uniform ensemble.
Today Nuutajärvi factory site is still one of the most well-preserved industrial milieus in Finland representing the solid Neo-renaissance architecture style. The oldest buildings are the bell tower from the 18th century and the empire style manor house built in 1822. Worker huts have been built between 1860s and 1940s.
Nowadays the factory produces famous Finnish art glass. For instance, the birds of Oiva Toikka are made in Nuutajärvi. Nuutajärvi Glass Village is a popular tourist attraction with over 100 000 visitors yearly. It provides restaurant, conference and accomodation services. Guided tours are also available.
The Château de Foix dominates the town of Foix. An important tourist site, it is known as a centre of the Cathars. Built on an older 7th-century fortification, the castle is known from 987. In 1002, it was mentioned in the will of Roger I, Count of Carcassonne, who bequeathed the fortress to his youngest child, Bernard. In effect, the family ruling over the region were installed here which allowed them to control access to the upper Ariège valley and to keep surveillance from this strategic point over the lower land, protected behind impregnable walls.
In 1034, the castle became capital of the County of Foix and played a decisive role in medieval military history. During the two following centuries, the castle was home to Counts with shining personalities who became the soul of the Occitan resistance during the crusade against the Albigensians.