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Switzerland
Espace Mittelland
Neuchâtel

Asphalt Mines of La Presta

Discover
Places to see
Switzerland
Espace Mittelland
Neuchâtel

Asphalt Mines of La Presta

Highlight • Historical Site

Asphalt Mines of La Presta

Recommended by 18 hikers out of 19

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    Location: Neuchâtel, Espace Mittelland, Switzerland

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    Best Hikes to Asphalt Mines of La Presta

    4.7

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    1. Creux du Van – View of the Creux du Van loop from La Presta - Mines d'Asphalte

    20.2km

    06:21

    770m

    770m

    Hard hike. Very good fitness required. Easily-accessible paths. Suitable for all skill levels.

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    Hard

    3.7

    (3)

    9

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    2. Creux du Van – Creux du Van loop from Noiraigue

    26.9km

    07:54

    730m

    730m

    Hard hike. Very good fitness required. Easily-accessible paths. Suitable for all skill levels.

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    Hard

    9

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    3. Asphalt Mines of La Presta – Asphalt Mines loop from Couvet

    6.17km

    01:35

    20m

    20m

    Easy hike. Great for any fitness level. Easily-accessible paths. Suitable for all skill levels.

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    Easy

    Tips

    September 14, 2022

    Les Mines d'asphalte du Val-de-Travers
    In 1711, the first modern scientist specializing in the field of asphalt, the Greek doctor Eirini d'Eyrinys, identified the first deposits on the northern anticline of Val-de-Travers. Initially interested in the therapeutic effects of this material, he laid the foundations for its modern use in his "Dissertation sur l'asphalt ou ciment naturel".
    The first mine was open-pit and it seems well established that exploitation only concerned the Combe-Vaubayon deposit until 1812. The documents available do not agree on the exact date (around 1830) when the La Presta deposit on the southern slope of the valley would have started to be exploited.
    After passing through various hands, the mine became the property of an English company, the "Neuchâtel Asphalte Company Ltd.", in 1873. It should be noted that asphalt, like salt, is subject to royal law and that in 1873 the latter charged a sum of around CHF 5 per tonne (around CHF 15 per tonne in 1986).
    Around 1960, NACO Ltd. was taken over by one of the most powerful road companies in Europe, the British company Tarmac.
    The asphalt mines of Presta were thus used artisanally and then industrially from 1712 to 1986 before being opened to the public.
    Text / Source: Les Mines d'asphalte du Val-de-Travers
    mines-asphalte.ch/a-propos

    Translated by Google •

      September 14, 2022

      Bitumen
      Bitumen (Latin pix tumens, "sweating pitch", "earth pitch", "grave pitch") is (according to DIN EN 12597) the name for the dark-colored, semi-solid to hard, sticky hydrocarbon mixtures obtained during the gentle processing of petroleum. It is also present in natural asphalt. Due to its low content of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH), bitumen has replaced the previously used coal tar and is now used for the same purpose, primarily in road construction and for sealing work. Bitumen is a colloidal system made up of a dispersant, the maltenes, and the asphaltenes and petroleum resins dispersed in it.
      Text / Source: Wikipedia
      de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bitumen

      Translated by Google •

        June 28, 2019

        Here asphalt was mined for three centuries. There are regular tours, from July even 4 times a day.

        Translated by Google •

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          Elevation 730 m

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          Location: Neuchâtel, Espace Mittelland, Switzerland

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