Great Saltworks of Salins les Bains

Great Saltworks of Salins les Bains Great Saltworks of Salins les Bains

The Great Saltworks of Salins-les-Bains was active for at least 1200 years, until stopping activity in 1962.

The underground galleries and hydraulic pumping system are the last remains of the system used for the extraction and channelling of the brine. On the surface, the Boiler Room demonstrates to the difficulty of the saltworkers’ labor. Visiting the saltworks helps to understand the history of salt and the techniques for extraction and production obtained by artificial evaporation, unlike techniques used in the salt marshes. Wood was used for combustion before being replaced by coal in the 19th century for economic reasons. The salt produced by this process is called granular salt (brine evaporation by fire).



The Great Saltworks would extract its last tons of salt in 1962 before its closure. A visit of the Saltworks isn’t complete without a visit to the Salt Museum, which traces the history of the site and the extraction of salt, from the Neolithic period to the present day.

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