Royal Saltworks at Arc-et-Senans

Royal Saltworks at Arc-et-Senans
Saline royale d'Arc-et-Senans
Main façade of the Royal Saltworks
General information
Location	Arc-et-Senans, Doubs
Country	France
Coordinates	47°01′59″N 5°46′41″E / 47.033°N 5.778°E / 47.033; 5.778
Construction started	1775[1]
Design and construction
Architect(s)	Claude-Nicolas Ledoux[1]
UNESCO World Heritage Site
Official name	From the Great Saltworks of Salins-les-Bains to the Royal Saltworks of Arc-et-Senans, the Production of Open-pan Salt
Type	Cultural
Criteria	i, ii, iv
Designated	1982 (6th session)
Reference no.	203bis-001
Region	Europe and North America
Extension	2009

The Saline Royale (Royal Saltworks) is a historical complex at Arc-et-Senans in the department of Doubs commissioned during the reign of Louis XVI (1774-92) and designed by Claude-Nicolas Ledoux.

The complex is listed as the World Heritage Site since 1982. It is notable for being the first major industrial architecture achievement implementing the Enlightenment ideals by improving architectural quality to match these of palaces or religious buildings.^[2]

For salt production the Saline Royale used firewood from nearby Forest of Chaux to boil the brine. It was also connected with saltworks of Salins-les-Bains (added in an extension to World Heritage Site in 2009) by a 21 km pipeline carrying the brine.^[2]