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Industrial History

A geological and industrial heritage...

Lorraine has drawn much wealth from its subsoil. Over the years, the earth has provided much material to satisfy the needs of industry.
Salt was first to be exploited, in Neolithic times, and continues to be so in the Meurthe Valley.
The copper mines of Le Thillot saw black powder used for the first time, they were exploited from the end of the 16th century until 1761.

During the Renaissance, the dukedom drew its wealth from the many veins of silver, lead, and even mercury.
These minerals were first extracted in the 10th century for the benefit of the Vosge monasteries.
As for the coal and iron industries, they contributed hugely to the renown of the region and are ably described in sites preserving the memory of an activity that once marked the landscape.
This brief survey would not be complete without mentioning the wood industry and forestry, employing 28,000 workers in Lorraine.

Tour Eiffel

Coal, iron and steel

Coal mining in Lorraine knew its apogee in the 19th century, under the direction of the De Wendel family.
Iron extraction also knew a golden age up to the 1970s, giving the region its onetime nickname of “the French Texas”.

We have selected the following for you:

	Musée départemental du Sel - MARSAL When the sea level fell a few million years ago, it left Lorraine behind and, with it, salt. Marsal’s history is closely linked to this “white gold” and the museum shows the changes in producti... [+]
	Ecomusée des Mines de Fer de Lorraine - Neufchef - NEUFCHEF 1 kilometre of galleries open to the public and displaying the work of iron miners from the earliest times to the present day. Three exhibition rooms, an audiovisual room and an open-air museum..... [+]
	Musée du Carreau De Wendel - PETITE ROSSELLE Join Sherlock Holmes and the Tiger Brigades and try to solve “the very strange Carreau Wendel Affair”. Find out about a miner’s social life from 1880 to the present day through reconstructions... [+]
	Musée de L’histoire du Fer - JARVILLE LA MALGRANGE Man and Iron, a 3,000-year-old history - see exhibits ranging from tools to works of art, from documents to models, from the Damascus blades of Merovingian swords to the metal dress by a famous.... [+]
	Musée des Mines de fer de Lorraine - Aumetz - AUMETZ Another look at the history of iron mining, through mine shafts and mining explosives. The simulated power-up of a piece of mining equipment is spectacular. The pithead, the most symbolic... [+]
	Les Hautes-Mynes Relive the adventure of copper miners working for the Dukes of Lorraine and walk in their footsteps through the galleries, shafts and waste dumps of the 16th and 17th centuries. There are... [+]
	Geology Centre "Terrae Genesis" - LE SYNDICAT A superb exhibition of 1,500 minerals and the fabulous sight of black light that delights young and old alike. This is the only collection of its kind in Europe, consisting of rocks from the... [+]
	Musée du Verre, du Fer, du Bois et de la Résistance In the “Museum of glass, iron, wood and the Resistance”, there are countless glass objects, tools, models and photographs illustrating the expertise of the people of the forest... [+]