From coalmine to BE-Mine

From coalmine to BE-Mine

English

The coal mine of Beringen - this is where we will meet

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On 23 February 1907, the SA Charbonnages de Beeringen was founded, its first industrial buildings following in 1909. It marked the beginning of a systematic expansion of this mining settlement. In 1989, the Beringen mine closed and today, the site is a mostly preserved and protected monument.
An entirely aboveground infrastructure was built for the mine, a prestigious plan d’ensemble: the creation of a new city. Furthermore, the remote location caused the mining society to build all relevant techniques itself: a power plant, workshops, locomotive warehouses, sawmills, brickworks… The architecture of the mine buildings are reminiscent of French industrial style.

Beringen mine: one of the shares

 

In 1993-1994, the Flemish government declared the entire coalmine a protected monument. Their vision: to preserve one of the 7 great coalmines in Limburg in the largest possible capacity, so as to maintain a representative image of this industry.
With its surface area of over 30 hectares, the coalmine itself is one of the largest industrial-archaeological sites in Europe. It is also the only coalmine in the Benelux to be so fully preserved.

Beringen - the protection plan


Moreover, the coalmine itself is part of a much larger “plan d’ensemble”, with “garden cities”, social facilities (schools, hospitals, prayer houses, sporting infrastructure…), transport infrastructure (the canal, railroads, main roads…). This plan d’ensemble has been remarkably well-preserved, is still in use and is embraced by the local populace and city administration as a special part of social capital.

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At the coal mine of Beringen one of the largest and most complete coal preparation plant is still existing
It is a huge mastodont of iron, steel, glass and bricks which dominates the site and its environment.
Although it was protected as a historic monument, the plant is now endangered and was recently added to the shortlist of the campaign 'The 7 Most Endangered' - a program of Europa Nostra and the European Investment Bank Institute

The Beringen coal preparation plant (archive) The coal preparation plant - recent picture

More information on the campaign to save the building can be found on the website of the Flemish Association for Industrial Archaeology, including a link to the European petition campaign
 

Save the coal preparation plant !!!