Culture

CFF Châtelard-Barberine hydroelectricity museum

Finhaut

The SBB Châtelard-Barberine Museum, located in the Châtelard Village hydroelectric plant, brings to life the construction and operation of the complex of the same name. Pictures, various materials and tools from the period are on display.

ommissioned in successive stages between 1923 and 1928, due to the constant increase in electricity consumption, the SBB began to collect water from the Vallon d'Émaney in 1952 and then built the Vieux-Emosson dam. In 1972, SBB built a second hydroelectric plant. The water from Emosson is also used to supply the Vernayaz power plant. SBB (in collaboration with a number of partners) has worked to link the two reservoirs of Emosson and Vieux-Emosson to the Nant de Drance pumped storage power station. The two lakes are now linked.

PRACTICAL INFORMATION

Guided tours
15 people maximum
Monday to Friday, during the day
Free of charge

Prices

Free admission, by reservation only

Contact

CFF

Guided tours are available by reservation only from Monday to Friday from 07:00 to 12:00 and from 13:30 to 16:00.

+41 51 225 56 56

fuehrungen@sbb.ch

https://company.sbb.ch/en/

Usine CFF
1925 Châtelard village

Location / Access

GPS coordinates :
46.061198710433544, 6.957827697624452

Access :

By train: with the Mont-Blanc Express, from Martigny (30') or Chamonix (1h) - timetable

By bus: from Martigny, via the Col de la Forclaz (from 20th June to 20th September), Finhaut (Switzerland) and Chamonix to Vallorcine and le Châtelard - timetable
By car :

From Martigny, via the Col de la Forclaz (30 minutes) or from Chamonix, via the Col des Montets (30 minutes).
Distances :
- Martigny : 25km | Verbier : 40km | Sion : 50km | Lausanne : 100km | Geneva Airport 120km (via Chamonix) | Chamonix : 25km | Courmayeur : 45km | Aosta : 70km