Mines de cuivre de Banca, Copper mines and heritage site in Banca, France.
The Banca copper mines form a mining complex in the French Pyrenees with multiple galleries carved into pink sandstone formations along the Nive des Aldudes river. The site includes work areas, storage spaces, and structures that show how mining and processing happened during its active periods.
A copper foundry was established here in 1740 by Laurent Beugnière de la Tour and grew into one of France's largest mining operations by the end of the 18th century. The production methods evolved during the 1800s as new technologies were introduced to the site.
The mining work brought together local Basque people with skilled workers from Saxony and Alsace, creating a mixing of languages and daily habits. This blend shaped how the surrounding village developed and how people lived together during those centuries.
The site is open to visitors through guided tours that let you walk through the galleries and see the old structures firsthand. Wear sturdy footwear and be ready for uneven ground and moisture inside the passages.
A blast furnace from 1823 survives at the site, representing one of the few intact examples of this metallurgical technology in France. This furnace demonstrates the advances in metal production during the industrial era.
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