Art gallery
Visite guidée de la Mine d'Argent du Fournel
The Fournel valley silver-bearing lead deposit was the scene of flourishing workings during the Middle Ages (10th - 13th centuries). With the help of fire-setting excavation techniques the workings reached up to 100m from daylight. The silver gained was sent to the mints at Embrun, Cesana and Grenoble. Then during the Industrial Revolution, between 1785 and 1908, several mining companies in turn worked out the deposit up to 300m under the mountainside. A factory was built at the bottom of the Fournel gorge and mining activity employed up to 500 workers. Since 1992 the site has seen archeological digs and volonteer work camps aiming to rehabilitate this industrial heritage.
