Photo : MINE BLEUE / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0)
La Mine bleue
La Mine Bleue is a former slate quarry of Anjou, set on the Gâtelière site, at Noyant-la-Gravoyère, now in the commune of Segré-en-Anjou Bleu (Maine-et-Loire).
Worked from 1916 by the company Ardoisières Angevines de Saint-Blaise, the mine closed in 1936 before reopening to the public in 1991 as an industrial heritage site.
The visit begins with the lift descent to 126 metres underground, without the steps the miners once used. A guide accompanies the group in the galleries, where you understand how the slate blocks were extracted and where the waste was piled. A helmet with lamp is provided and the temperature stays cool at the bottom, around 13 °C.
On the way back up, demonstrations show the cutting of blocks, the splitting of roof slates and their shaping. On the surface, hiking paths dotted with explanatory panels let you discover the other remains of the working. Shows, such as "L'Or bleu", are also scheduled. A visit suited to families as well as the curious about industrial history.
