|
 This rare and precious ore, asphalt, was once extracted from Le Val-de-Travers mines and used to waterproof Louis XIV fountains and the roofs of Le Corbusier houses. Today, due to lack of profit, it has been replaced by artificial material! Underground tunnels still remain from this exceptional industrial epic. This is a true invitation to take a small trip to the centre of the Earth, something Jules Vernes would certainly not have renounced!
A mix of limestone and bitumen, asphalt, which shouldn't be confused with tar, has been appreciated since Antiquity for its elasticity, pliability, and impermeability. This ore was used as mortar and insulation before it was used to cover roads and sidewalks. At Le Val-de-Travers, the adventure started in 1711, when the Greek scientist and physician Eyrini d'Eyrinis discovered an asphalt deposit. Mining as such, the only of its type in Europe, first started in quarries before going underground in 1873. For three centuries, until 1986, some two million tonnes were extracted in this manner from the depths of the earth before being exported around the world. Visit one of the tunnel sectors, and you can still experience this touching human adventure in an underground maze of over 100 kilometers.
Informations et contact : www.gout-region.ch/mines.php
Site de la Presta, 2105 Travers. Ph + 41 (03) 32 864 90 64. Duration of the visit: 1.5 hours. Don't forget to bring your sweater, as the temperature is about 8 degrees all year!
Photo: Site de la Presta
|
Haut