Timeline

Heritage classified

Key figures

Origin and history

The salt spring of Moriez, also known as the Beaumenière spring, is a well built in the 17th century on the town of Moriez, in the Alpes-de-Haute-Provence. It has been used since 1672 for its naturally salted water, resulting from the leaching of evaporite land containing halite. The building, protected by cutting stone walls and a robust flood shield from the Bouquet ravine, is a sign of a technique of evaporating salt into adjacent salt tables. Excavations carried out between 1999 and 2002 revealed traces of exploitation dating back to the 6th millennium BC, confirming its ancient use.

The well, with a diameter of 1.5 metres, is surrounded by a rubble massif designed to withstand the flooding of the neighbouring torrent. Two rectangular salt tables, one of which is paved with terracotta tiles, were used to concentrate salt by evaporation. The operation, which continued until the mid-19th century, ceased after the legal prohibition of these installations in 1840. The current building, rebuilt in 1899, still houses the original well, now closed by a gate. The source has been included in the additional inventory of historic monuments since 1993.

The property of the source belongs to the municipality of Moriez since 1672, when its exploitation is attested by the archives. An on-site explanatory panel tells its history, while archaeological studies, such as those cited in The Origins of Salt Mining in Europe (2008), highlight its importance in regional history. Although extraction has declined, the site remains a rare testimony of pre-industrial methods of salt production in Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur.

External links