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Heritage classified

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Origin and history

The Hottinguer well, located in Epinac, Burgundy-Franche-Comté, was one of the main coal mines in the 19th century. Built between 1872 and 1876, it was distinguished by its innovative atmospheric extraction system, designed by engineer Zulma Blanchet. This process used a piston in a 558-metre-high tube, manufactured at the Creusot, to reach a record depth of 618 metres, a feat for the time. The well thus became the deepest in France when it was commissioned in 1871.

The well's sanding began in 1863 near the Garenne well, with the hope of exploiting reserves estimated at 400 million hectolitres of coal. However, the geological layers were deeper and more inclined than expected: coal was only reached in 1871, after a cross-bank at 618 metres. The pneumatic extraction, authorized in 1873, was operational in 1876, reducing the climb time of the cages to 3 minutes thanks to a 1500 hp steam engine installed in 1882.

Despite the difficult beginnings (low production before 1884, poor layer quality), the well boomed around 1885, before abandoning the pneumatic system in 1887 in favour of cable extraction. The site ceased mining in 1936. Transformed into a painting plant (Bitulac) in 1948, it was partially destroyed by fire in 1989 and abandoned in 1998. Ranked a historic monument in 1992 and then in 2022, its Malakoff tower — rare architecture in France, inspired by German models — has undergone renovations since 2012.

The Hottinguer well embodies an exceptional industrial heritage, both by its technical system and by its conservation. As early as the 19th century, he attracted the attention of experts, as evidenced by his visit to the Congress of the Mineral Industry Society in 1893. In the 20th century, associations such as CILAC and historians (Jean-Philippe Passaqui, Dominique Chabard) emphasized its uniqueness. Today, the site combines preservation (renovation of the wings and the tower) and modern project, with a photovoltaic plant planned on former industrial sites.

The remaining buildings — Malakoff Tower, lateral wings, truncated chimney — offer an intact testimony of 19th-century mining techniques. Their preservation, carried by local authorities and the DRAC, is part of a process of valuing Burgundy heritage. The 2022 classification reinforces this protection, recognizing the well as one of the last major remains of the industrial era in Burgundy-Franche-Comté.

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