Musée de la Mine de Blanzy, Mining museum in Blanzy, France

The Musée de la Mine de Blanzy occupies the former Saint-Claude shaft, closed since 1882, in the commune of Blanzy. A 19th-century steel lattice headframe from the Pré Long site at Montceau-les-Mines was re-erected over the shaft in 1981. Around it stand a red-brick building with a black hipped roof, a machine room, a lampisterie and recreated surface mine galleries.

Coal was mined at Blanzy from the 16th century, when the site belonged to the barony of Montcenis; with Montceau-les-Mines it formed one of Burgundy's three mining basins. Operators succeeded one another: François de la Chaise (1761–1776), Renard et Cie until 1782, then the Chagot companies through the 19th century. The Société Anonyme des Houillères de Blanzy, led by Émile Coste from 1900, was nationalised in 1946. Extraction ended in 1992 and surface work in 2000.

The museum keeps the name of the Blanzy collieries, worked since the 16th century. Volunteers from the association La Mine et les Hommes lead the guided tour, which passes the salle des pendus where miners changed and hung their clothes to dry, the lampisterie where lamps were issued, and the stables that housed the pit ponies.

The site is open for visits from March through November, with guided tours available year-round by appointment for groups. Underground areas maintain steady temperatures, so comfortable shoes and a light jacket are practical choices for exploring.

The headframe now standing over the Saint-Claude shaft was moved here in 1981 from the Pré Long shaft at Montceau-les-Mines and was listed in the General Inventory of Cultural Heritage in 1993. The shaft it marks had been closed since 1882. Look for the small cabin and cable wheels at the top of the dark lattice frame.