Located in the historic center of Maglie, built in the first half of the 19th century on foundations dating back to the 16th century, the rediscovery of the former Lamarque Tannery happened almost by accident during renovations in 1998.
A series of fortunate historical investigations into the forgotten past of this place have made it possible to reconstruct its history. It turns out that from 1830 to 1852 the Lamarque Tannery was located here, named after the French tanners who founded it, brothers Jean and Pierre Lamarque, who resided with their families on the second floor of the building.
The tannery operated on the ground floor, while the workers' families lived in the adjacent courtyard, since then called the "French Court."
Once the tannery activity ceased, the spaces were adapted for other activities. Since the early 1900s, the leather processing rooms were literally buried, paradoxically allowing the recently discovered evidence, such as the canals and tanks, which remained intact, to be preserved over time. These remnants of the tannery have therefore been enhanced for the purpose of creating a permanent museum of the ancient art of pit vegetable tanning.