Nearly 150 years after its industrial past, the Royal Saltworks of Arc-et-Senans is today a site of great cultural standing. A UNESCO World Heritage site since 1982, it constitutes a rare testimony in the history of industrial architecture.
The Royal Saltworks offers numerous activities: visits, exhibitions and cultural events, but it also welcomes colloquia and seminars. It is a place of general reflection on architecture and urban planning.
For the visitor, the saltworks offers many different discoveries. Outside, the monumental buildings unveil themselves in ordered positions and their impressive style. The architectural proposal continues inside, in the Claude-Nicolas Ledoux Museum, where we meet the architect and his works. Approximately sixty different models of his works display the range of his vocation and dreams. Further along, the former director’s house now shelters an exhibition on salt, presenting white gold in all its different aspects.
Numerous other activities organised throughout the year are a part of the rhythm of life at the saltworks today. The garden festival thus takes possession of the grounds every summer. Temporary exhibitions, concerts and innovative experiments are also on the agenda every season.
To visit : All necessary information (visits, times, fees...) can be found at the official site of the Royal Saltworks of Arc-et-Senans