Timeline

Key figures

Origin and history

The French Petroleum Museum is located in Merkwiller-Pechelbronn, in the Lower Rhine, within the European Community of Alsace in the Grand Est region. It occupies a central place in the Vosges du Nord Regional Natural Park, where it is part of a network of ten museums. Its aim is to present geological history, oil extraction techniques and energy evolution related to this iconic site, the first deposit mined in Europe in the 15th century.

The museum covers the entire chronology of oil exploitation in Pechelbronn, from its medieval beginnings to the closure of the refinery in 1970. It highlights major innovations, such as the electrical exploration carried out by the Schlumberger brothers on the site. Particular attention is paid to the Société des Huiles Antar (S.H.A.), founded in 1927 to distribute locally produced lubricants. The museum route also extends to the adjacent technological park, illustrating the methods of oil extraction and processing.

Pechelbronn is recognized as a territory shaped by the oil industry, with deposits continuously exploited for centuries. The museum is based on extensive historical research, including the work of Jean Theophile Hoeffel (1734) or the geological monographs of the oil field. It is now managed by the association of friends of the French Petroleum Museum, which ensures its animation and development, as evidenced by its recent expansion project.

Integrated into a landscape marked by industrial history, the museum offers a reflection on fossil fuels and their impact, while integrating into an awareness-raising approach to alternative energies. Its anchoring in the Vosges du Nord Regional Natural Park reinforces its role of mediating between technical heritage and contemporary issues.

Collection

Le musée retrace l'évolution des techniques d'exploitation de mines par galeries et par forage et pompage avec photos, vidéos, maquettes, affiches et objets divers à l'appui.

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