Come and admire the old Ars-en-Ré salt refinery
In the early 19th century, the salt trade expanded after the Napoleonic wars. Ile de Ré salt lost its popularity because of its grey colour. In 1818, Benjamin Dubois-Dufontaine built a refinery near the port to bleach salt, but went bankrupt. Pierre-Nicolas Beuvain took over the refinery in 1830, enlarging it and installing a new salt processing system. By 1861, the plant employed 20 people and produced 15,000 tonnes of salt a year. The salt was washed, processed and dried before being put into bags. A railway line was laid in 1876 to transport the salt to the refinery.
In 1914, activity ceased due to a shortage of coal and the boilers were damaged. The washhouse continued to operate until 1925, when the building was abandoned. In 1974, it was bought by the mayor of Ars-en-Ré, Émile GAUDIN, who transformed it into a covered market.
The chimney of the refinery was destroyed in 1977 after having been used as a bitter for nearly 150 years.
In 1914, activity ceased due to a shortage of coal and the boilers were damaged. The washhouse continued to operate until 1925, when the building was abandoned. In 1974, it was bought by the mayor of Ars-en-Ré, Émile GAUDIN, who transformed it into a covered market.
The chimney of the refinery was destroyed in 1977 after having been used as a bitter for nearly 150 years.
