History of gypsum mining in Paris

Montmartre is a symbol of Paris, a 130-meter-high hill with its surrounding neighborhoods, located in the northern part of Paris on the right bank of the Seine. In this area with its many night clubs, the white-domed Sacre Coeur Basilica stands at the top of the hill. The area is known for being home to many famous artists, including Salvador Dali, Modigliani, Claude Monet, Pablo Picasso and Vincent van Gogh.

But in the economic and construction history of Paris, Montmartre Hill reflected a different side: for two centuries, it was the source of gypsum for the whole of France.

Parisian plaster has always been known for its quality. It is still preserved on buildings that were plastered several centuries ago, despite the rather rainy and windy climate of the city. The existence of an ancient Roman aqueduct in the area (or rather, what remains of it) is also due to gypsum: gypsum from the soil made the water in the area undrinkable, and the Romans built an aqueduct to provide water for their garrison. The Romans were also the first to treat gypsum thermally, discovering its high efficiency in holding building blocks together and the soft pink hue of burnt plaster on the walls (thanks to the huge deposits of gypsum, this color became a characteristic feature of the entire city).

Although today 70% of the gypsum used in France comes from the vicinity of Paris, the quarry in Montmartre, like all quarries in the city, has long been closed: back in 1852, it was turned into a green park "Butte de Chaumeau", and the crater of the quarry became a lake in the center of the park. A cemetery is also located on the territory of the former quarry. All that reminds us today of the existence of a gypsum quarry is a small grotto in the gardens, which once served as the entrance to the mine.

The saturation of the soil with gypsum and its extraction also had undesirable consequences for Paris: gypsum carried by ground water rushes into underground mines and erodes them, creating a danger of crumbling and sinkholes throughout the city. The city authorities are solving this problem by gradually filling the old tunnels with cement. Completely solving this problem is an impossible task, so constant concern for the safety of buildings from crumbling is an important place in the work of the city's engineering services.