For nearly thirty years, the AHI has run the museum, where visitors can explore historic mining infrastructure that remains in working order, such as an underground train and period machinery. It is considered a major witness to the industrial past of the Lorraine iron-ore basin and unique in Europe.
The sub-prefecture of Val-de-Briey now requires the association to obtain official status as a public-access establishment (établissement recevant du public, ERP), which means a series of new safety measures. Museum administrators say this is a major challenge for a former mine run by volunteers.
The association has already paid for a €20,000 study on gallery ventilation. It must now commission a further technical report on the stability of the underground structures, at a cost of around €19,000. The closure has led to the cancellation of several open days and deprived the association of vital revenue. Those in charge hope to raise enough money to file a new compliance application and get permission to reopen.
The museum stands on the site of a mine that closed in 1978 and has been maintained for decades by volunteers, many from mining families. For them, losing it would be a significant loss for the region's industrial memory.
Pascal Raggi, an industrial heritage historian at the University of Lorraine, told France 3 Grand Est that permanent closure would erase an exceptional historical site. He said the museum plays an essential role in teaching younger generations about the region's mining history.
To pay for the studies and safety works, the association has launched a symbolic campaign selling "square metres" of the mine to supporters. Its goal is to welcome visitors back in 2027.
