French Oil Museum

Discovering 500 years of oil history in Northern Alsace !

Did you know it? Undergrounds in Alsace contains oil and it is in Merkwiller-Pechelbronn that opened the first site of oil exploitation in Europe. In this region, the farmer of the Late Middle Ages already knew that the ground was filled with an oily substance that he had learned to use. From the 18th century, exploitation took on an industrial dimension until its closure in 1970.

The geology of the Rhine ditch explains a singular deposit which will be exploited by wells, drilling, pumping and even by mining galleries. Pechelbronn is renowned for its technical innovations in the oil industry.

Between techniques, world premieres and historical saga:

After a video projection, the museum enables a complete panorama of the geological formation of this oil and its unexpected uses: embalming of mummies, remedies and construction. Operational developments, Raky drilling, rotary drilling, pole pumps as well as miners’ work are unveiled.The extent of the mining galleries and refinery, the birth of the Antar company and the Institut Français du Pétrole and the first electric coring are some of the striking features of a unique saga. Renewable energies such as geothermal energy are also discussed