Royal Saltworks of Arc-et-Senans
Saline royale d'Arc-et-Senans
An 18th-century 'ideal city' saltworks designed by the architect Ledoux. Its unique semicircular layout is listed as a World Heritage Site.
The saltworks were designed by Claude-Nicolas Ledoux and built between 1775 and 1779. The director's house stands at the center, with workshops and housing arranged along a semicircle, embodying the Enlightenment vision of an ideal city. Brine was piped 21 km through wooden pipes from Salins-les-Bains to be boiled into salt. The site was inscribed on the World Heritage List in 1982, and in 2009 it was listed together with the Salins-les-Bains saltworks. On site are a museum of Ledoux's architectural models, an exhibition on the history of salt, and a large themed garden. It is open year-round, and admission is about €15. From Besançon, it's about 30 minutes by TER train.
Opening hours
About 09:00–18:00 (shorter hours in winter)
Nearby sights
- Grottes d'Osselle
- Arbois
- Great Saltworks of Salins-les-Bains
- Miroir de Scey
- Battant Quarter & Quai Vauban
- Grande Rue & Old Town
- Musée des Beaux-Arts et d'Archéologie
- Musée du Temps (Palais Granvelle)