The Saline Royale (Royal Saltworks) is a historical complex at Arc-et-Senans in the department of Doubs commissioned during the reign of Louis XVI (1774-92) and designed by Claude-Nicolas Ledoux.
The complex is listed as the World Heritage Site since 1982. It is notable for being the first major industrial architecture achievement implementing the Enlightenment ideals by improving architectural quality to match these of palaces or religious buildings.
For salt production the Saline Royale used firewood from nearby Forest of Chaux to boil the brine. It was also connected with saltworks of Salins-les-Bains (added in an extension to World Heritage Site in 2009) by a 21 km pipeline carrying the brine.
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