Urêka, Uranium mining museum in Bessines-sur-Gartempe, France

Urêka is a mining museum located on the grounds of a former uranium extraction site in this community within Nouvelle-Aquitaine. The indoor galleries display equipment and extraction techniques, while the outdoor area features multiple stations that illustrate how the industry worked and its scientific outcomes.

The museum opened in 2013 and documents France's uranium mining industry, which operated in Limousin between 1948 and 2001. The building stands on a site with direct ties to this mining era, where thousands worked in extraction over several decades.

The museum is run by the association Énergies limousines, and former miners guide visitors around the site voluntarily. The brick facade carries the name Urêka in illuminated letters beneath a drawing of three intersecting orbits. In 2013 the environmental group Les Amis de la Terre awarded Areva its Pinocchio prize for greenwashing over the museum's opening communication.

This site is best reached by car, as it sits outside the town center and lacks convenient public transport nearby. Plan for at least two to three hours to see both the indoor exhibits and the outdoor stations properly.

A simulator and interactive trail recreate working conditions from the 1950s through the 1970s, letting you experience what miners faced during those decades. This hands-on recreation helps you grasp the physical and mental demands of the work without going deep underground.