Timeline

Key figures

Origin and history

The Hautes-Mynes du Thilott is a former copper mining site located in the southern mountain of the Haute Vallée de la Moselle, in the Vosges. Operated between 1560 and 1761 by the Dukes of Lorraine, these mines marked history with their peak in the seventeenth century and their pioneering use of black powder as early as 1617, a first in Europe for mining. Their classification as a historical monument in 1995 underlines their heritage importance, with an underground network and innovative mining techniques for the time.

Mining in the area began around 1550 with silver wires in Bussang and Fresse-sur-Moselle, before concentrating on copper in Thilott. A foundry was built in Saint-Maurice in 1560 to process ores, using locally produced charcoal. Activity declined after 1580 for silver mines, but copper maintained intense production until 1761, with galleries sometimes close to those operated by the Bourguignons on the franc-comtois slope, as in Château-Lambert.

The Thillot mines are distinguished by their revolutionary techniques: point-roll drilling, burning, and especially the systematic use of black powder as early as 1617, prior to the Slovak mines of Banská Štiavnica (1627). Archaeological excavations revealed hydraulic machines and water management methods, such as ponds and pipes to operate pumps and boots. These innovations, coupled with the richness of the veins (pegmatites, copper sulphides), made the site a European model.

The mining landscape has been profoundly transformed by human activity: excavations, piles of waste rock, deforestation for charcoal, and diversion of streams. These changes, combined with the creation of roads and hydraulic infrastructure, demonstrate the scale of the operation. Today, the site is valued touristically with the Maison des Hautes-Mynes, located in the old station, and guided tours in the classified galleries.

The geology of Thillot's veins reveals a polyphase formation: first pegmatites rich in feldspar and sulphides, then hydrothermal deposits of quartz and copper sulphides/molybdenum, and finally secondary concentrations of high-grade copper. These mineralogic characteristics have made extraction particularly profitable, supporting the local economy under the aegis of the Dukes of Lorraine. SESAM's research has documented these technical and geological specificities.

Ranked a historic monument in 1995, the site now offers a journey through its galleries and museum. An 18th-century pumping set, discovered by archaeology, is exposed alongside old models and tools. This heritage illustrates an unknown part of Lorraine's history, where mining innovation has crossed the economic and environmental challenges of the Renaissance and Enlightenment.

Future

The municipal tourist site of the Hautes-Mynes was born from the development of this mining heritage. The Maison des Hautes-Mynes, located in the former Thillot station, completes the visit to the mining site.

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