Historical monument and heritage.

Don't hesitate to embark on this exceptional excursion! A route of approximately 80 km, through magnificent landscapes in the Ecrins National Park, will take you from La Roche des Arnauds to the historic Fournel silver mine, passing through Gap, Embrun, Savines-le-lac, the Durance river, etc.

From the Middle Ages (10th, 13th centuries), the silver deposit in the Vallon du Fournel was known and exploited.

Miners used the ancient technique of fire to extract the rock and excavate galleries up to 150 meters per day, yielding up to half a ton per square meter! Mining ceased during the Renaissance and only resumed four centuries later in the 2th century, this time using gunpowder to blast the rock blocks. The extracted ore was galena , a mixture of lead and silver , which was used, among other things, in the mints of Embrun, Grenoble, and Cesana in Italy, to make local coins. Accompanied by a guide, explore the 20 kilometers of underground galleries in approximately 30 hours to see the work carried out at different times and to appreciate just how difficult the extraction process was.

This mining operation led to considerable economic growth in the region and also to a large influx of Italian immigrants who came to bolster the local workforce for the arduous mining tasks performed by the miners and coal washers. The mine also provides ongoing employment for all sorts of craftsmen (blacksmiths, carpenters, masons) and supports muleteers, carters, woodcutters, and various suppliers.

Visit the mining village , with its forges, workshops, and the manager's house, while underground you can observe the engine room with its pump and winch. If you want to learn more, you'll find all the additional information at the museum , with explanatory panels and exhibits. You'll learn, among other things, that 500 people worked in this mining activity at the factory built at the bottom of the gorge, and that between 1785 and 1908, during the Industrial Revolution, several mining companies succeeded one another in extracting the precious ore, digging the vein up to 300 meters below the mountain until it was exhausted in 1908.

Since 1992 and continuing to this day, efforts have been underway to revitalize the site and restore its value. To rehabilitate this exceptional industrial heritage, archaeological digs and volunteer workcamps are being organized.

Escape game

Do you enjoy games, investigations, puzzles, thrills, emotions, and laughter with family or friends? Then don't hesitate, experience an Escape Game!

You will be taken prisoner deep within the mine, and you will need all your wit, observation skills, and logic to solve the puzzles and free yourself. And you will have learned all the secrets… or almost all… of this unique site!

You will leave with your head full of extraordinary images, new knowledge, new sensations and, therefore… you will return richer from this memorable excursion!

And never, no never will you forget the Fournel mine in L'Argentière-la-Bessée , which lives up to its name so well!