Listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 2009, the Grande Saline of Salins-les-Bains is a former salt production site, unique in Europe. Because here, for 1200 years, men have exploited naturally salty water springing from the subsoil to extract precious white gold. It is thanks to the activity of the Grande Saline that the town of Salins-les-Bains acquired its prosperity, becoming one of the most powerful cities in medieval Franche-Comté.
Accompanied by a guide, you will first descend to the very heart of history, into the two brine extraction wells protected by majestic vaults. This monumental gallery, built in the 13th century in the image of a cathedral, extends over 165 meters in length and 10 meters in height in the very heart of the city. It still houses today a pumping system driven by a bucket wheel and a large 19th century pendulum still in operation and bringing up a brine loaded with 330 grams of salt per liter (saltier than the Dead Sea !). The visit continues in the evaporation building where you can feel the working atmosphere of the salt workers. Everything here is preserved, authentic : the tools, the salt carts, the corroded woodwork and the last salt pan in France, a moving witness to the working memory of salt.
Closed in 1962, due to lack of modernization and too much competition from sea salt, the Grande Saline still retains all the production tools today to better understand salt production in Franche-Comté. A true industrial and architectural treasure, the Grande Saline is a living site that can be discovered with the heart. A story that our guides will bring you to life every day with passion.
Access to the gallery is via a staircase of 53 steps and the underground temperature is around 12°C. Duration of the guided tour (obligatory to discover the underground part) : 1 hour.
At the end of the guided tour, you will have free access to the old salt granaries housing a museum space developing the exploitation of salt in Franche-Comté and thermal activity.