With its rich and unexpected mining heritage, the Mines Loop Trail takes you on a journey of discovery through the history of coal mining in Briançon. The trail straddles the two municipalities of Puy Saint André and Puy Saint Pierre.
Nearly three centuries old and born with the arrival of Vauban's engineers, mining came to an end in the 1980s, when the last peasant miners stopped extracting the coal needed for domestic heating. Over the decades, this multi-faceted operation has demonstrated the adaptation of local societies to mountain constraints, whether linked to the terrain and its harsh winters, or to its unique social organization in the Alpine chain.
5 sites that can still be visited offer a glimpse into a world full of surprises:
Let's go underground to the Roche Pessa mine which, subject to secure access, features a gallery that can still be visited, one of the last in the Briançonnais region, where you can see how miners worked underground.
Let's wander to Combarine, where the last ruins bear witness to the most important industrial operation in the Briançonnais region, with its rational organization, its mining cableway and its slag heaps as the only visible remains of an operation of this kind in the mountains.
Continuing on, not far from the Fossa torrent, the lime kiln area bears witness to the strong link between coal and lime throughout the 18th and 19th centuries, as this poor-quality anthracite was also used to make lime. In this respect, this kiln remains a perfectly preserved example of the hundred or so that exist in the Briançonnais region. A small, accessible gallery, known as the powder magazine, can still be seen in the same area.
Among the trees below, the Fossa mine can be seen, one of the few examples of communal management of coal resources, seen as a common good until the First World War. The misunderstanding of all concerned led to its collapse, preventing everyone from benefiting from it. The sometimes highly individualistic peasant mentality prevented collaboration that would have enabled everyone to benefit from a resource perceived as collective.
At the mine des Envers, overlooking the gorge, you can see one of the last peasant mines in operation in the 20th century, until 1954 to be precise, with a large production output and singular remains. It shows the golden age of this type of mine during the post-war reconstruction of France.
Discover a rich and fascinating history that is tending to become invisible in the landscape and in people's memories.
Explanatory panels all along the route explain the history and uses of the old mines around Puy Saint Pierre and Puy Saint André.
5 sites that can still be visited offer a glimpse into a world full of surprises:
Let's go underground to the Roche Pessa mine which, subject to secure access, features a gallery that can still be visited, one of the last in the Briançonnais region, where you can see how miners worked underground.
Let's wander to Combarine, where the last ruins bear witness to the most important industrial operation in the Briançonnais region, with its rational organization, its mining cableway and its slag heaps as the only visible remains of an operation of this kind in the mountains.
Continuing on, not far from the Fossa torrent, the lime kiln area bears witness to the strong link between coal and lime throughout the 18th and 19th centuries, as this poor-quality anthracite was also used to make lime. In this respect, this kiln remains a perfectly preserved example of the hundred or so that exist in the Briançonnais region. A small, accessible gallery, known as the powder magazine, can still be seen in the same area.
Among the trees below, the Fossa mine can be seen, one of the few examples of communal management of coal resources, seen as a common good until the First World War. The misunderstanding of all concerned led to its collapse, preventing everyone from benefiting from it. The sometimes highly individualistic peasant mentality prevented collaboration that would have enabled everyone to benefit from a resource perceived as collective.
At the mine des Envers, overlooking the gorge, you can see one of the last peasant mines in operation in the 20th century, until 1954 to be precise, with a large production output and singular remains. It shows the golden age of this type of mine during the post-war reconstruction of France.
Discover a rich and fascinating history that is tending to become invisible in the landscape and in people's memories.
Explanatory panels all along the route explain the history and uses of the old mines around Puy Saint Pierre and Puy Saint André.
Plain text period
All year round daily.Services
History
Heritage
Discovery
Accessibility
Not accessible in a wheelchair
Accepted customers
- Level green – easy
