Musée de la Mine et de la Potasse

About the museum

The museum is located in Wittelsheim, where the Alsatian potash deposit was discovered in 1904. It is housed in the former changing room of the Joseph-Else pithead, named after the two shafts of the site. Mining began there in 1912; the installations were enlarged and modernised from 1924 by the Mines de potasse d’Alsace, and the red-brick buildings of 1928 still give the pithead its appearance. Extraction stopped in 1966, and the former changing room is listed as a monument historique.

The museum is run by the Kalivie association, founded in 1998 by former miners to preserve the heritage and memory of the potash basin. It holds what remains most significant of the lives of the generations of miners who went underground for a century.

The route passes through the salle des pendus, the last communal-shower changing room in the basin, preserved in its original state, through the lamp room (lampisterie) and to the headframe (chevalement) of the Puits Joseph. A mineralogical collection of nearly 5,000 specimens, focused on rock salt and potash, explains the geology of the region. An outdoor trail, L’Odyssée de la Terre, completes the visit.

Highlights

• Salle des pendus, communal-shower changing room preserved in its original state
• Mineralogical collection of nearly 5,000 specimens, focused on rock salt and potash
• Collection of miners' lamps, from the 19th century to today
• Headframe (chevalement) of the Puits Joseph and lamp room
• Guided tours with former miners
• Outdoor trail L’Odyssée de la Terre

Permanent exhibitions

• La salle des pendus – Former communal-shower changing room, with objects, models, machines and miners' lamps, as well as a sound installation broadcasting testimonies from miners' wives.
• La collection minéralogique – More than 5,000 specimens on the geology of Alsace, evaporite basins and potash worldwide.
• L'Odyssée de la Terre – Outdoor trail reaching back 4.6 billion years, with the Allée du Temps and a geological garden in the shape of an ammonite.

Operated by

Musées Mulhouse Sud Alsace (m2a), animé par l'association Kalivie

Admission & discounts

Free admission for holders of a press card, the Museums-PASS-Musées, the VIZAM card, the Pro Tourisme card, the Ministry of Culture card and the ICOM card, as well as for children under 4.

Accessibility

The museum hasn’t published any information on this.

Kids & families

Great for kids & families

• Activity booklet, scavenger hunt or kids’ audio guide

A free treasure hunt (jeu de piste) is offered to children. The booklet “Vol à la mine” (for ages 8 to 14) invites them to solve a case across the museum's different spaces, with a prize at the end.

Getting there & parking

By car, from the N66, take exit D19 towards Wittelsheim.

Amenities & dining

• Museum shop

The museum has a shop (books, textiles, accessories).

Events & venue rental

The museum hasn’t published any information on this.

Plan your visit