Royal Saltworks at Arc-et-Senans

Arc-et-Senans in north eastern France is located at the foothills of the Jura Mountains. Right in the heart of this mist-shrouded countryside lies a semicircular complex that has a number of buildings arranged in order. This complex is the Royal Saltworks at Arc-et-Senans - one of the major Tourist Attractions in France.

Located near Besançon, the Royal Saltworks at Arc-et-Senans in France was built by Claude-Nicolas Ledoux. He had ideas of building his dream city at this site. The construction of this massive structure began in 1775 during Louis XVI's rule, and heralded the first important achievement of industrial architecture.

Royal Saltworks at Arc-et-Senans resembles a semicircle in shape, with a diameter of about 400 meters. The center of the complex is marked by the Director's House, a 4-storey building that houses a church and a town administrative office. The complex features large columns built from cylinder-shaped and square blocks, and thereafter arranged to resemble an ancient temple. These columns have 80 meter-wide buildings on either side, which are the famous Saltworks.

The Saltworks of Arc-et-Senans were built after boiling huge quantities of salt water to produce about 3,000 tons of salt each year. The salt water was brought from Salins city, about 20 kilometers away. The reliefs on the wall are made from consolidated salt. Just opposite these saltworks lie craftsmen's houses and a barrel making factory.

Also among the prominent features of Royal Saltworks at Arc-et-Senans is the Gate House, which has a stately entrance, and contains several function rooms within, including a bakery and a prison. Ledoux - the architect of the complex wished to incorporate all functional components of a city within the Saltworks complex. All the buildings are so built in a semi circular pattern that they all benefit from the sun.

On your Tour to Royal Saltworks at Arc-et-Senans, you'll find that the Director's House provides views of every corner of the entire complex.

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