French Oil Museum

French Oil Museum

Network connection

MUNSTERCARD
4€ instead of 5€

Présentation

Description

Discovering 500 years of oil history in Northern Alsace !
Did you know it? Undergrounds in Alsace contains oil and it is in Merkwiller-Pechelbronn that opened the first site of oil exploitation in Europe. In this region, the farmer of the Late Middle Ages already knew that the ground was filled with an oily substance that he had learned to use. From the 18th century, exploitation took on an industrial dimension until its closure in 1970.
The geology of the Rhine ditch explains a singular deposit which will be exploited by wells, drilling, pumping and even by mining galleries. Pechelbronn is renowned for its technical innovations in the oil industry.
Between techniques, world premieres and historical saga:
After a video projection, the museum enables a complete panorama of the geological formation of this oil and its unexpected uses: embalming of mummies, remedies and construction. Operational developments, Raky drilling, rotary drilling, pole pumps as well as miners’ work are unveiled.The extent of the mining galleries and refinery, the birth of the Antar company and the Institut Français du Pétrole and the first electric coring are some of the striking features of a unique saga. Renewable energies such as geothermal energy are also discussed

Horaires

April, May, June and September : Wednesdays, Thursdays, Fridays and the first Sunday of the month from 2:30 pm to 6 pm July and August (summer) every day except Monday and Saturday from 2:30 pm to 6 pm Groups : all year round on reservation from 10 persons

Durée de l'événement

Accès PMR

Yes

Accueil et accès

Altitude

163 m

Accès

Coordonnées GPS

Latitude

48,9368083

Longitude

7,82768190000002

Distance (km) et nom de la gare la plus proche

Soultz-sous-Forêts

Fiches associées

Localisation

ALTITUDE

163 m

COORDONNES GPS

LATITUDE : 48,9368083
LONGITUDE 7,82768190000002

DISTANCE GARE LA PLUS PROCHE

3 km

NOM DE LA GARE

Soultz-sous-Forêts

Exhibition: Pechelbronn reveals itself - MERKWILLER PECHELBRONN

(Re)discover the history of the oil industry in Pechelbronn through old photographs of emblematic buildings and places and 15 explanatory banners spread around the streets of the village of Merkwiller-Pechelbronn, but also in Kutzenhausen, Lampertsloch and Preuschdorf. This exhibition complements the one set up in 2020 around the Carreau Clemenceau. A map and guidebook can be downloaded from the museum website (in French).
Discovering Pechelbronn's oil past - MERKWILLER PECHELBRONN

Only in French. With the help of the photo exhibition set up in the village and its surroundings, the guide will tell you about the glorious past of the oil industry. From picture to picture, Pechelbronn reveals itself to you!
Pechelbronn: in the footsteps of the old heritage - MERKWILLER PECHELBRONN

Only in French. As part of the European Heritage Days, with the guides, discover the ancient heritage that still exists. The presence of the oil industry in the past has generated a certain number of activities that can still be identified in the surrounding landscape, notably through the housing and buildings that are still visible today.
The nature of the rocks and the paleoenvironment in which they were deposited - MERKWILLER PECHELBRONN

Only in French. The tour begins with a 360° view from the Northern Vosges to the Black Forest, where you can see where the rocks are today. The guide will show you the palaeogeography of these rocks and how they were formed: some samples are presented with their structure. The tour ends with a visit to a former Voltzia sandstone quarry in the Northern Vosges mountains.
In the footsteps of the Karichschmiermann - MERKWILLER PECHELBRONN

Only in French. Join us as we follow in the footsteps of the Karichschmiermann, the grease peddler who bought his supplies from the Pechelbronn refinery and sold his wares from village to village. Explore the Pays de Pechelbronn, its rich industrial past and its agricultural world. Discover the adventure of black gold at the Oil Museum, with its emblematic sites (mine workings, refinery, Le Bel castle, etc.) and the daily life of farmers at the Maison Rurale. A host of captivating events, demonstrations, interactive workshops and guided tours of unusual sites await you. A total immersion in the world of Karichschmiermann and the region's oil history!
Exhibition: Chimeras - PREUSCHDORF

Corine Kleck and Dominique Haettel are taking over the Galerie du Puits 1 with an installation, prints and drawings linked to the site. Corine Kleck has created an in situ installation on the industrial wasteland.
During visits to the site, the two visual artists chose to work in the manner of researchers, discovering, sampling and extracting. In a kind of fantastic narrative, they imagine the story of a 'lost' world, using forms of hybridisation that explore themes of metamorphosis.
The installation in the gallery's display case is on view continuously. The drawings and prints and the site-specific installation are accessible only on guided tours. Guided tours available, please enquire.
The exhibition can be seen along the RD 28 between Merkwiller-Pechelbronn and Preuschdorf.
Bergmaennele, Petrosaurus & co - MERKWILLER PECHELBRONN

Only in French. Who is this character from Bergmaennel and what does this petrosaurus have to do with the history of oil in Northern Alsace?
With the help of the museum's two mediators, come and meet the mining goblins so familiar to the miners of the time, or the dragons of a completely different age. Will the gnome of the oil mines dare to show his face and reveal his secrets to you? Will the petrosaurus tell you stories of the time when it flew over the area? Stories, tales and anecdotes will brighten up this rather special guided tour...
The visit to the oil museum closes the outing (ticket still valid for the whole season in case of lack of time).