Salt Mines and Salt Mine History Museum

Exploited since 1684, the Bex Salt Mines are still active today. An exhibition and a journey to the heart of the mine narrate three centuries of salt works.

Mines de sel, Bex

Mines de sel et musée historique des Mines de sel, Bex

A shepherd discovered saline sources in the 15th century on an Alpine meadow above Bex. Salt was then extracted from the mountain through mines, an activity still undertaken today. Annual production amounts to 35 tons commercialised by a limited company.

An audiovisual presentation and an exhibition have been installed in a former reservoir dug in 1826. They describe the three centuries of salt commercialisation and the salt extraction methods used. The adventure continues down to the core of the mountain, which is accessible by a small train and on foot, to experience the depth, the oppression and the efforts spent on building a maze consisting of 50 km of galleries. On the day of Sainte Barbe, the miners' patron saint, celebrated on December 5, a trek mine invites individual visitors to explore this maze.

A beautiful journey to the land of white gold: salt has been an important source of income since ancient times.