European Heritage Days at the Royal Saltworks

SATURDAY 20 & SUNDAY 21 SEPTEMBER 2025
From 9.00 am to 6.00 pm

Listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1982, the Royal Saltworks of Arc-et-Senans is the masterpiece of Claude Nicolas Ledoux (1736-1806), a visionary architect of the Age of Enlightenment.

Since its opening in 1779, the site has evolved from a royal salt factory to a cultural centre open to the public, visited by almost 140,000 people every year.

As part of the Heritage Days programme, the Saline Royale is inviting visitors to explore its architecture, history, secrets and recent transformation through exhibitions and its 13-hectare park.

During their visit, visitors will be invited to take part in activities relating to heritage, architecture, nature, the environment and the "Corto Maltese, a world of adventure" exhibition.

PROGRAMMING:

Guided tours to discover the Saltworks
Saturday 20th at 9.30am, 10.45am, 12pm, 2.15pm, 2.45pm, 3.30pm, 4pm - duration: 1 hour
Sunday 21 at 9.30am, 10.45am, 12pm, 2.15pm, 2.45pm, 3.30pm, 4pm - duration: 1 hour
A mediator-guide will introduce you to the 11 buildings where the salt workers lived and worked, and comment on the "Histoires de sel" exhibition, before explaining the life and work of Ledoux, the famous architect of the Age of Enlightenment.

Thematic visit/lecture, Unusual history of the Arc et Senans Saltworks in the 20th century: from abandonment to major projects.
Saturday 21 at 10:30am, 12:00pm, 3:30pm, 4:00pm, 4:30pm, 5:00pm
Sunday 22 at 10.30am, 12.00pm, 3.30pm, 4.00pm, 4.30pm, 5.00pm
duration: 30 min
After salt production ceased in January 1895, the workers' housing estate was no longer of much use, and the prospects for reclassifying the site were not helped by the successive economic crises and wars. Nevertheless, a number of projects were envisaged to safeguard and reuse the buildings: the National Stud, a grain silo, a chicken coop, an orphanage, a wine cellar, etc.
With the help of many previously unpublished photos from the Saline Royale d'Arc et Senans photo library, punctuated by anecdotes told by our tour guide, come and discover the ups and downs that have punctuated the history of the Saline, from its abandonment to its transformation into a museum and cultural centre.

Thematic tour, behind the scenes of the monument in 2024
Saturday 21 at 10.00 am - duration: 1 hour
Sunday 22 at 10.00 am - duration: 1 hour
A guide will take you on an exclusive tour of the areas that are usually inaccessible to the public, and which give life to the Saltworks today. Between the industrial past and today's cultural activities, discover the transformation of the site and new views of the monument.

Workshop: The challenges of architecture
Saturday 20th from 11am to 6pm
Sunday 21 from 11am to 6pm
Come and take up the challenges of architecture: construct a building under constraint, find out more about architects of the past, try your hand at isometry, and design the ecological habitat of the future. It's a great place to discover and play with the whole family!

ALSO OPEN ALL WEEKEND

The Saline Royale, back to the past with Histopad
The HistoPad, developed by the Histovery company, uses a touch-sensitive tablet to take visitors on an augmented reality tour of the Royal Saltworks. Immersive 360° 3D historical images and interactive 3D objects will take visitors back in time to the 18th-century Royal Salt Works, where they can meet the salt workers of the time.
A treasure hunt, a histoselfie and an electronic visitors' book will complete the tour.

Immersion in UNESCO World Heritage Sites: The Centre of Lights
Screenings every 15 minutes:
Eight 8-minute films will take you on a journey to the very origins of our civilisations, (re)discovering eight UNESCO World Heritage sites as you've never seen them before, in immersive 3D. Navigate the interactive globe, across centuries and continents, and take the quiz to learn more about world heritage and the need to preserve it.
You can also visit a pavilion dedicated to intangible heritage, with 360° videos presenting different traditions listed by UNESCO.
Sites explored: Pharaonic Egypt / the Roman world / Samarkand in Uzbekistan / the city of Venice in Italy / Mughal art with Humayun's tomb / the work of Claude Nicolas Ledoux / the rock paintings of La Serrania de la Lindosa in the Colombian Amazon.


The admission ticket includes: admission to the monument, access to the exhibitions and gardens, a Histopad audioguide and participation in the tours and activities on offer.

More information about the programme is available on the website: https://www.salineroyale.com/evenement/journees-europeennes-du-patrimoine/