Musée des Gueules Rouges
Museum of Var bauxite with an interactive exhibition and a reconstructed mine gallery, visited with a guide.
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About the museum
Between the late 19th century and the 1980s, the Var was France's main bauxite deposit and a world leader for several decades. The miners, covered in the red dust of the ore, were nicknamed “Gueules Rouges” (roughly “red faces”). After mining ended, former miners passed on their memories and collections to preserve this history, and they are behind the Tourves museum.
The mine gallery was set up from 2008 by volunteer former miners of the association Les Gueules Rouges du Var, in the large halls of the former Tourves winegrowers' cooperative, where concrete vats stood. It covers more than 900 m². The museum is now run by the Provence Verte agglomeration.
The route includes a free-visit section with interactive terminals, videos and archives on the geological origin of bauxite, its processing into alumina and then aluminum, and the metal's current uses. It ends at the lamp room (lampisterie), before the descent into the reconstructed mine, which is visited only with a guide.
Highlights
- Reconstructed mine gallery of more than 900 m², visited with a guide
- Interactive terminals on bauxite and aluminum
- Memory of Var miners told through objects and archives
- Tactile model and adapted route, Tourisme & Handicap label
- Children's workshops during school holidays
Permanent exhibition
- Mine de bauxite reconstituée – Gallery of more than 900 m² rebuilt by former volunteer miners, visited with a guide.
- Founded
- 2012
- Operated by
- Agglomération Provence Verte
Admission & discounts
| Adults | €6 |
|---|---|
| Reduced | €4Young people aged 6 to 18, people with disabilities, job seekers, RSA beneficiaries and partners (CCAS, CNAS, Pass Loisirs, Carte Odyssée, etc.). |
| Children & teens | €4free up to age 5 · Free for children under 6; reduced rate from 6 to 18. |
| Visitors with disabilities | €4companion free · Reduced rate with proof of disability; free for one companion (disability card marked “besoin d'accompagnement”). |
| Groups (10+ people) | €5 per person“Tribu” rate per person for groups of more than 10 people. |
| Groups of 10 or more with a guided tour of the museum and the mine (per person) | €8.50 |
| Personal annual pass, unlimited access for one year | €12 |
| Reduced youth rate for certain partners (Amusez-vous, ANCAV-TT) | €3 |
Free admission: European Heritage Days; also free at openings, lectures and workshops.
Also free for holders of ICOM, CEA and Ministry of Culture cards, guides, journalists and elected officials of the agglomeration. Payment in cash, by bank card, by check, with culture vouchers and holiday vouchers.
Accessibility
- Wheelchair accessible
- Elevator
- Accessible restroom
- Accessible parking
- Service dogs welcome
- Tactile models & exhibits
- Sign language tours: no information
- Easy-to-read materials
- Audio description
Tourisme & Handicap label for the four categories of disability, renewed in 2020. Induction loop, audioguides, adapted map, wheelchairs and folding seats, magnifiers and torches, tactile model, tactile objects and raised-relief lecterns on the upper floors, booklet in easy-to-read language. Audio-described guided tours and sensory tours by reservation.
Kids & families
Great for kids & families
| Kids’ admission | free up to age 5 |
|---|
- Family tours & workshops
Workshops for children on Wednesdays during school holidays, an immersive detective game during the holidays, workshop visits for schools and leisure centers.
Getting there & parking
By public transit
Halte Routière
Buses on the ZOU! network (line 849 Toulon – Garéoult, express lines 92 Brignoles – Aubagne and 93 Brignoles – Aix-en-Provence) and the Mouv'enbus network (line 114 Plan-d'Aups – Saint-Maximin, line 105 Mazaugues – Brignoles), stop “Halte Routière” in Tourves.
By car
Parking available
Museum car park with bicycle racks; a closed bicycle shelter at the bus station; eBorn charging station (2 Type 2 sockets, 22 kW maximum) within 30 meters, near the bus station.
- Accessible parking
By car: A8 motorway, exit 35, then the DN7 toward Saint-Maximin, exit “Marseille Tourves”; the museum is on the right, level with the bus stop.
Get directionsAmenities & dining
- Wi-Fi
Drink and snack vending machine. Wi-Fi access indicated by the regional tourism listing.
Events & venue rental
The museum hasn’t published any information on this.
Plan your visit
| Guided tours | yes · approx. 45 min |
|---|---|
| Audio guide | yes (EN, DE, IT) |
| School programs | yes |
| Good to know | The museum is visited in two parts: a free section with the exhibition and interactive terminals, then the reconstructed mine, visited only as a guided tour at a fixed time. Individual visitors sign up at reception on the day, with no advance booking; groups of more than 10 people must book. Guided tours in French; audioguides in English, German and Italian. Temperature in the mine: about 10 °C in winter and 20 °C in summer. Animals not admitted, except guide dogs. Workshop visits for school groups from preschool to upper secondary school, and for leisure centers, by reservation. |
