Mining and Potash Museum

The Mining and Potash Museum is located in the Nonnenbruch Forest, along the railroad line from Basel to Benelux, on the former property of Amélie Zurcher, who unexpectedly discovered potash while looking for oil. It is an integral part of Joseph Else's mining site, a historical site where potash ore was discovered in 1904. The permanent exhibition is housed in the former miners' canteen. It explores the geological history of this basin formed about 30 million years ago, which became an industrial site in 1904 due to the exploitation and transformation of potash ore (sylvit or sylvinite). It also relates the story of the men who, in the 20th century, traveled from afar in order to exploit this gift from the Earth. The display of minerals reminds us that Alsace has a long mining tradition. Photos show the distillers , who produce potassium carbonate for the glass industry and potassium chloride. The Joseph Else complex looks like it used to in its pioneering days. The visitor can discover the architecture of the buildings on the pithead, including the firefighters' station which is on the list of National Register of Historic Places, the planned districts designed by Joseph Else and Graffenwald which reveal the stratification of a mining society.