Copper mine at Le Thillot, Historical copper mine in Le Thillot, France.

The copper mine at Le Thillot is a complex of underground tunnels and surface structures that display extraction methods from the 16th to 18th centuries. The site features multiple shafts and passages at varying depths with chambers where ore was extracted.

Copper extraction started in 1560 under the rule of the Dukes of Lorraine and remained an important economic activity until 1761. During this period, mining techniques evolved from pure manual labor to controlled blasting with black powder.

The name Hautes-Mynes refers to the copper mines opened on the mountain's north slope from 1560, worked by miners from Lorraine and beyond. The site is now run as a municipal museum: three galleries are open to visitors, and the Maison des Hautes-Mynes in the old Thillot station displays models, panels and excavated equipment, including an 18th-century pumping installation.

The site is accessible on foot via rue de la gare in Le Thillot and is located in an easy-to-reach area with space to explore. Guided tours are the best way to visit the underground passages safely, as conditions below ground are challenging.

The mines of Le Thillot are, according to current research, the first place in Europe where black powder was used systematically in mining, from 1617. This technique had previously been attributed to the Slovak mines of Banská Štiavnica in 1627. The date is attested in the archives.