Idea #475 – Visiting the royal Saltworks of Arc en Senans and Salins les Bains
The Great Saltworks of Salins-les-Bains is a rare example of industrial site previous to the XIXth century. It occupies a surface of 15 500 m ², what represents only 20 % of buildings which had existed originally. There is a porterie of the XIXth century – now on occupied by the tourist office- , the subterranean gallery, two towers of fortifications, and one of the former buildings of exploitation still left on the site…
The existing vestiges allow to understand the process of production of the ignigen salt : the gathering and the pumping of waters salted in underground passages, their rise on the surface, their evaporation to obtain from some salt in the room of stoves, and finally their storage in the stores of salts.
Connected by a saumoduc in fir tree of 21 km to the saltworks of Salins les Bains, the royal saltworks of Arc-et-Senans, which bore originally the name of royal saltworks of Lime, was built in the XVIIIth century and in summer in service until 1895. Mattering among the most important saltworks of Europe of its time, the site was built by the architect Claude-Nicolas Ledoux under the reign of king Louis XV
To secure the saumoduc which sent daily 135 000 liters of brine, 10 guardrooms had been built along it, forming the ” ath of the salt-tax collectors”. The flow of salt was checked at every checkpoint office, and the result was brought to the saline every week.
Since 2009, the Saltworks of Salins-les-Bains has been registred on the UNESCO world heritage list the royal with saltworks of Arc en Senans, registered since 1982.
Some Pictures
Where is it ?
Salines Royales, Arc en Senans, Jura, France
