The Royal Saltworks is an industrial site built from 1775 to 1779 by the visionary architect Claude Nicolas Ledoux. The salt production stopped at the end of the 19th century and the site was abandoned until 1927 when the General Council of Doubs purchased the buildings.
In 1970 the Foundation Claude Nicolas Ledoux founds the first cultural project as a research centre on forecasting and prospective and becomes one of the founding members of the Association des Centres culturels de rencontre. In 1982 the Royal Saltworks is inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List. The new project “city of utopias” initiated in 2011 seeks to increase the impact of the Royal Saltworks on the territory and further open it to European and international cooperation. Through its cultural projects (events, exhibitions, residencies for artists), its permanents exhibitions, its heritage and cultural mediation and economic activities (organisation and hosting of corporate and private events or visits), the Royal Saltworks contributes to the local sustainable development (employment, tourist and culture offers) and represents an important link between public local policies and the territory (county and region). Moreover, the Saltworks is an important relay for European and international cultures.

The EPCC Royal Saltworks of Arc et Senans (SR) is a public body (public organisation for cultural cooperation) that articulates the cultural re-use of heritage sites as defined by the Charter of Centres Culturels de Rencontre (Cultural centres in historic monuments) and local economic and cultural development.