La Presta, Asphalt mine entrance near Travers, Switzerland

La Presta is an asphalt mine in the Val de Travers, between Travers and Couvet in the Swiss canton of Neuchâtel. Its main seam, the Bon banc, lies in Schrattenkalk limestone and is four to six metres thick, reaching twelve metres in places. Underground workings began in 1867 and comprise six levels divided into the South, East and Simplon areas.

The Greek physician Eirini d'Eirinis discovered the asphalt deposit in 1711 and obtained mining rights in 1712, but commercial open-pit extraction began only in summer 1713. Mining moved to La Presta around 1840 and went underground in 1867. Output peaked in 1913 at 53,000 tonnes, and the mine closed at the end of 1986.

Walking through the tunnels, visitors can see tools and equipment left from the mining era still in place along the walls. The site gives a concrete sense of how underground work was organized in this part of Switzerland.

Sturdy shoes and a warm layer are a good idea, as the temperature underground stays consistently cool throughout the year. Access to the tunnels is generally done in guided groups, so checking availability before arriving is worth the effort.

A restaurant on the site prepares ham using natural asphalt from the mines as a cooking medium, a method found almost nowhere else in the world. The result is a flavor that visitors can only taste in this specific place.