Ochre mines of Bruoux

The Mines de Bruoux, located in the commune of Gargas, in the heart of the Luberon Regional Natural Park, invite you to discover a unique tourist site that combines history, geology, and industrial heritage. Gargas, a village of 3,000 inhabitants in the Vaucluse, is intrinsically linked to ochre mining. This economic activity has shaped the village and continues to play an important role in its culture and history. Explore the former ochre quarries, once active in the 19th and early 20th centuries, and immerse yourself in a fascinating underground world.

An Unforgettable Guided Tour

History of the Mines de Bruoux

The Mines de Bruoux are a former mining site that offers a journey into the heart of ochre, with quarries featuring breathtaking cliffs that were almost forgotten. Transformed into a museum and natural tourist site since 2009, these mines bear witness to an industrial epic that lasted for over a century, during which ochre workers carved galleries with pickaxes—still visible on the walls—to extract ochre sands. While the use of ochre dates back to the Paleolithic era, it was in the late 19th century that the ochre industry experienced a remarkable boom.

Of the 40 km of underground galleries, painstakingly dug by generations of miners, only a small portion is open to visitors. These galleries, reaching heights of up to 15 meters and several meters in width, form a true labyrinth. Extracting this mineral, known as "ochre sand," was an arduous task requiring immense effort to carve out these vast tunnels.

Ochre was once a thriving industry in the Luberon, with 80% of production exported via the port of Marseille to international destinations. Primarily used as a thickener in rubber manufacturing, ochre was also used in paint, coatings, and lime washes. However, the advent of synthetic paints and petrochemical products in the mid-20th century gradually led to the decline of this industrial activity. Today, only one remaining ochre extraction site operates in Gargas, one of the last in Europe.

The intensive mining operations required significant modifications that impacted the environment, including deforestation, landscape alteration, and the large-scale extraction of ochre sediments. The underground galleries deeply reshaped the subsoil, while open-pit quarries gave way to steep cliffs that have now become part of the natural landscape.

Today, with the end of industrial extraction, the site has been able to regenerate. The tourism development of the Mines de Bruoux is now part of a broader effort to preserve and pass on this unique heritage.

The current company in Gargas, "Ocres de France," continues to mine ochre independently, with a quarry located in the village and a processing plant in Apt. The extracted ochre mineral consists mainly of 90% sand and only 10% pure ochre. The process of transforming this raw material into purified ochre is complex and meticulous. It is finely ground to produce a powder used in various applications. About 70% of the current production is exported, primarily to the African continent but also to other parts of the world.

Ochre Sites to Visit in the Luberon

The Mines de Bruoux offer an exceptional immersion into the history and geology of ochre. To extend your experience, explore other iconic sites in the region:

• The Sentier des Ocres in Roussillon: an unmissable walk through a canyon of vibrant colors, shaped by ochre mining.
• The Colorado Provençal in Rustrel: a spectacular landscape reminiscent of the American West, formed by erosion and former ochre quarries.
• The Ocre Mathieu Factory and Ôkhra Ecomuseum in Roussillon: a unique site where visitors can discover both the process of transforming ochre into natural pigments and the artisanal skills associated with it. Exhibitions and immersive workshops provide a deeper understanding of the history and uses of this exceptional resource.