Blegny Mine (UNESCO site)

Overview

At Expat Club we like to learn how things work and visit contemporary and historical industrial sites. Today we are again digging into Belgian industrial history by visiting a genuine coal mine. It is our second visit after an unforgettable experience back in 2015. The roots of the Blegny Mine between Liège and Maastricht go deep. The first hole was dug in 1779 and operations went on until 1980 when the mine was closed down by the government. Since then it serves as a tourist destination and gets consistently very high reviews (4.5 stars on TripAdvisor, 4.4 on Google). Also our friends from Cheeseweb were impressed with their visit. In 2012 the Blegny-Mine was ranked a UNESCO World Heritage site together with 3 other major mining sites in Wallonia: Bois du Cazier, Bois-du-Luc and Grand-Hornu. This is a recognition of the role the mine played in Belgium’s industrial history and an acknowledgment of the hard lives of the miners.

Pictures

The Blegny Mine is a UNESCO World Heritage Site | © Blegny Mine

From above it is hard to believe what happened underground | © Simon Schmitt / Blegny Mine

blegny-mine_-_visite_du_musee_de_la_mine_6_0

We begin our guided tour in the mining museum, which offers a fascinating overview of the life of the miners.

A private guide, most likely a former miner (!), will show us around the various rooms with machines, clothes, tools, art and much more.

The machinery used for the mining activities can be seen in various places at Blegny | © Blegny Mine

If you want you can walk up the slag heap for a wide panoramic view over the wide area | by Boskoyevsky (own work) - Wikimedia Commons

Time has come to put on our helmets and go into the mine ourselves. | © Blegny Mine

Corridor after corridor, the length of the system is endless. | © Blegny Mine

Our guide will take us through an intricate system of corridors and rooms.

At the height of its existence it produced 232.000 tonnes per year. | © Blegny Mine

Our guide will explain the various tools that were used to get the coal out. | © Blegny Mine

He will also explain about the dangers of mining, the accidents that happened, but also the many beautiful stories and anecdotes by the miners.

The coal washing machines are huge and can be seen at the end of the guided tour.

Program

As with any Expat Club trip our schedule is carefully designed so we can optimally see all local destinations. Still, unforeseen circumstances, such as traffic jams, may influence our program. This rarely happens, but rest assured your host, the bus driver and the Blegny Mine will do their best to give you the best possible experience.

13h00 – Departure Place Schuman
14h15 – Arrival Blegny
15h00 – Guided tour mining museum
16h00 – Guided tour mine
18h00 – End program
19h30 – Return Brussels

Blegny

In 2012 the Blegny-Mine was ranked a UNESCO World Heritage site together with 3 other major mining sites in Wallonia: Bois du Cazier, Bois-du-Luc and Grand-Hornu. This is a recognition of the role the mine played in Belgium’s industrial history and an acknowledgment of the hard lives of the miners.

After arrival we’ll first visit the mining museum together with a professional guide. We begin with the video-show “A stone that burns” (20 minutes), which really impressed the 2015 Expat Club group. The museum itself deals with eight centuries of coal mining. After the museum there is some time to visit the slag heap. On top you will have an amazing view of the wider surroundings of Blegny.

During the final part of our visit we go into the mine itself. Although the lowest part is over 500 meters deep into the ground, we will “only” go to 30 to 60 meters into the ground to explore the various tunnels and galleries. To ensure we are fully prepared we first have to gear up. Everybody must wear a special jacket and a helmet with a light.

During our tour a professional guide will walk us through the mine and shows us the various equipment that was used to knock down coal and various other machines. We will learn about what it was like to work in the “Black Holes”, how hard the work was, and how the miners were working together, day and night.

The tour also allows us to see the washing and sorting equipment (not for the miners, but the coal). The process to create coal is maybe less obvious than you might think. So lets explore how it’s done and see some of the machinery in action. It may surprise you that virtually nothing has changed since the last load of coal was dug up in 1980, not even the lamps that continuously light up Saint Barbe, the patron saint of the miners.

We end the tour around 18h00. This visit includes the climbing of some long stairs (130 steps max). You should be able to do this. Tens of thousands of people visit this mine every year, and it is accessible to the general public, so you don’t have to worry about safety or having to crawl through small spaces. Needless to say, you should not suffer from (severe) claustrophobia, but if you don’t there is nothing to worry about.

Transportation

We are leaving in the early afternoon from Place Schuman with a 4* luxury coach with on-board toilet, DVD system with several flatscreens, and comfortable reclining chairs with extra leg space. The drive is not too long, we should be there within 1,5 hours only.