Goldmine Chatelet

Information

We found this location on an topographical map. One of six big goldmines in France. We decided to take a chance and just go there. It was a great find and a great urban exploration. Most of the buildings are collapsed or burned down, which was a pitty. The buildings which did survive kick ass! The whole location will be destroyed soon. Works on cleaning the site from the heavy soil polution started summer 2010. In 2011 all buildings were demolished and the pollution is contained.

History

The French, being chauvenistic, had to be present in any branch of industry. In 1886 during the construction of a railway traces of gold were found in the rocks. The second french gold mine was erected to mine the gold. It was very hard to mine gold here, first of all because of the rocks, made of granite and quartz. Secondly the gold was bound to Arsene, which is a serious poison. The treatment is very complex and costly. Therefore the mine opened as late as 1905 and production peaked in 1912. The mine was of minor importance to France. During the second world war the Germans invested heavily in the gold mine. New buildings are erected. The mine was active until 1955. Due to European cooperation and the costly, complex and heavily polluting process the mine was closed. The site was used until the seventies by a laboratory. The site will be destroyed soon (summer 2010). It is a nature reserve these days and the heavy pollution on the site threatens life in the area. In 2011 all buildings were demolished and the pollution is contained.