L'histoire de la Grande Saline de Salins-les-Bains, bien plus qu'un musée du sel

In the heart of Jura, the Grande Saline of Salins-les-Bains is a jewel of the Franche-Comté’s heritage. Founded 1,200 years ago, it represents an industrial model by its technological evolution and extraordinary longevity, as one of the oldest factory in France. Its business model shows rigorous resource management from the outset. Socially innovative from the 15th century onwards, it offered nationally unequalled protection for its workers.

The salt produced in Salins is called “igniferous salt” (coming from the latin word ignis which means fire). It’s getting by heating up the salty waters using wood or coal, in opposition to the salt marshes on sea where the salt is crystallizing thanks to the sun and the wind.

Irreplaceable and indispensable to preserve food in the Middle Ages, salt was called “white gold”. Its production was a source of wealth for sovereigns and a matter of survival for populations. In the 17th century, the Grande Saline produced 14,000 tons of salt a year, generating half the region’s income and supplying Burgundy, Franche-Comté and Switzerland. As the economic capital of Franche-Comté in the 17th century, Salins set up a defensive system to protect its wealth from greeds. The Grande Saline itself was fortified and differed from the other industrial sites in the region by its self-sufficient functioning: it became a real fortress.