Timeline

Key figures

Origin and history

The Musée de l'Ardoise, located in Rénazé in the Pays de la Loire, is located on the site of the former mining operation of Longchamp. This place was a centre of the slate industry at the end of the Middle Ages, but it was mainly in the 19th century that the region gained a national reputation in this field. The activity ceased permanently in 1975 with the closure of the last well, marking the end of a time when hundreds of workers, called perreyeux, descended 300 meters underground to extract the precious material.

The museum's collections preserve the memory of this industrial heritage with old tools, machines and photographs. Among the major pieces is the 22-metre metal straddling, built in 1926 by Venot-Peslin, and transferred to the site in 1941. This chivalry, adorned with decorative motifs such as the cross of Saint Andrew, symbolizes the golden age of the renaze. The four hectares of the Longchamp hill, with its buildings and cabin reconstructions, offer an immersive testimony of the working and living conditions of the miners.

Founded by volunteers who want to pass on their know-how, the museum offers demonstrations of slit dardoise for groups. It highlights the economic and social importance of this industry, which has shaped local identity for centuries. The site, labeled Musée de France, also maintains archives on work organisation, mining techniques and technological transformations, such as the installation of the Longchamp well in 1936.

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