Opinel, which will soon celebrate its centenary, found its way into the Larousse in 1989 as a synonym for mountain knife. Picasso used it to sculpt, and Eric Tabarly to navigate. It is still the faithful companion of explorer Jean-Louis Etienne, as for tens of millions of anonymous users. Its blade in the shape of a Turkish sword (or yataghan) has made the symbol of the capital of the Maurienne famous throughout the world – Saint John’s hand raised in blessing.
Today it is produced on an industrial scale at a factory employing 100 people near Chambéry, at the rate of 4 million a year. The Opinel museum recounts the saga of a craftsman destined to become a successful industrialist in a true-to-life setting fitted out with the ancestral machines used in days of yore to create the famous cutlery. And as a bonus, you will be treated to a running commentary by the jovial, moustached great-nephew of Joseph Opinel, who created the cult pocketknife in 1890. Jacques Opinel hopes to expand his museum to cover 1,000 sq.m.
