Joseph Else Mine: Mining and Potash Museum

Located in Wittelsheim, the birthplace of the discovery of the Alsatian potash deposit in 1904, the museum takes you through the great epic of potash in Alsace. It preserves and enhances the most significant remains of the generations of miners who went underground for a hundred years to extract the potash ore. It plunges you into the cradle of the Alsatian potash basin, to discover the miner's profession and the hundred-year history of potash mining in Alsace. The Mine and Potash Museum is located in the former cloakroom of the Joseph-Else pit, named after the two shafts established there. Mining began on the site in 1912, but it was not until 1924 that the MDPA expanded and modernised the facilities. A number of red brick buildings built in 1928 are evidence of the final appearance of the pit, which is still preserved in its entirety today. Mining on the tile floor ended in 1966. The former cloakroom, which now houses the museum, is a listed building.

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