Les Hautes-Mynes du Thillot


Useful Information

Location: South of Thillot, department Vosges.
(47.861703, 6.769283)
Open: APR to SEP daily 10-19, last entry 16:30.
OCT to MAR during school holidays daily, other weeks Wed, Sat, Sun, Hol 10-13, 14-19, last entry 16:15.
Closed 25-DEC, 01-JAN.
[2021]
Fee: Maison des Hautes-Mynes: Adults EUR 3.50, Children (5-17) EUR 2, Students EUR 2.50.
Groups (15+): Adults EUR 2.50.
Mine + Maison des Hautes-Mynes: Adults EUR 6, Children (5-17) EUR 3, Students EUR 4.
Groups (15+): Adults EUR 4.
Full Visit with Rouge Montagne: Adults EUR 11, Children (5-17) EUR 8.50, Students EUR 9.50.
Groups (15+): Adults EUR 9.50.
[2021]
Classification: MineCopper Mine
Light: helmets with headlamps provided.
Dimension: T=9 °C.
Guided tours: Mine + Maison des Hautes-Mynes: D=1:45, about 45 min underground. L=1,000m
Full Visit with Rouge Montagne: D=3 h, MinAge=5.
Photography:  
Accessibility: no
Bibliography:  
Address: Les Hautes-Mynes, 47 rue de la Gare, 88160 Le Thillot, Tel: +33-329-250333, Fax: +33-329-253008. E-mail: contact
As far as we know this information was accurate when it was published (see years in brackets), but may have changed since then.
Please check rates and details directly with the companies in question if you need more recent info.

History

1560 start of mining by the Dukes of Lorraine.
17th century heyday of the mine.
1761 mine closed.

Geology

The crystalline basement of which the Alsace/Vosges mountain ridge consists is fractured and has numerous lodes, in this case rich in copper ore.

Description

Les Hautes-Mynes (The High Mines) are located high up in the upper Moselle valley, in the southern Vosges, hence the name. These mines were operated by the Ducs de Lorraine (Dukes of Lorraine) and were very modern, as the miners very early used black powder to create the tunnels.

The visit starts at the museum called Maison des Hautes-Mynes, which is located in the former train station of Le Thillot. It is normally visited self-guided, but it is also possible to book a guided one-hour tour for groups. The second part of the visit is the underground visit to the mine de la Rouge-Montagne (Mine of the Red Mountain). The mines are located in a valley about 2 km south of the town.

The museum in the Maison des Hautes-Mynes is the start of every mine tour. The museum has an exceptional pumping installation from the 18th century, which consists of a cast iron pump body, suction pipes and wooden driving poles, winch, and bins. The parts were collected by archaeologists in a mine shaft. An animated model explains its operation. Beneath tools and materials, the exhibition contains reconstructions of galleries and equipment, and various models. There is material on the history of the mines, the daily work and traditions of the miners, and the rediscovery of the mines and the archaeological excavations.

There are two mines, the mine St Thomas with a total of 60 m underground passages and the mine St Charles with 300 m. Both were dug into the hard granite, following the ore veins. As a result the passages are sometimes quite irregular and slanted. Highlights are the Salle de la Poutre and an outcrop of the ore vein. For the underground tour the visitors are equipped with helmets and headlamps, as the mines have no electric light. There are trails, but in the second mine there are some rather rough part which require a little climbing and stooping, appropriate shoes are required. The small open air exhibition of mining machinery at mine entrances is also quite interesting.