Blegny

Blegny-Mine

Useful Information

Location:	rue Lambert Marlet 23, 4670 Blegny. E 40 Liege-Aachen exit 36. E 25 Liege-Maastricht exit 2. (50.686735, 5.722755)
Open:	MAR to 07-APR Sat, Sun, Hol 10-16 (last entry). 08-APR to 15-SEP daily 10-16 (last entry). 16-SEP to NOV Sat, Sun. Hol 10-16 (last entry). [2009]
Fee:	Blegny-Mine: Adults EUR 8.60, Children (6-12) EUR 6, Disabled EUR 6, Seniors EUR 7.50. Groups (15+): Adults EUR 7.55, Children (6-12) EUR 5.50, Disabled EUR 5.50, Seniors EUR 6.90. Super Combination: mine + pit Marie + road train + slag heap: Adults EUR 12.80, Children (6-12) EUR 8.50, Disabled EUR 8.50, Seniors EUR 10.65. Groups (15+): Adults EUR 12.80, Children (6-12) EUR 8.50, Disabled EUR 8.50, Seniors EUR 10.65. Group rates only with reservation. [2009]
Classification:	Coal mine
Light:	Incandescent
Dimension:	A=30 m.
Guided tours:	D=120 min. ( )
Photography:
Accessibility:
Bibliography:
Address:	Domaine Touristique de Blegny-Mine (Tourist Centre of Blegny), rue Lambert Marlet 23, 4670 Blegny, Tel: +32-41-874333, Fax: +32-41-874333. E-mail:
As far as we know this information was accurate when it was published (see years in brackets), but may have changed since then. Please check rates and details directly with the companies in question if you need more recent info.

History

16th century	first mining at the site by the monks of Val-Dieu Abbey.
1779	first mine shaft sunk.
1816	Shaft Marie sunk.
1980	mine closed.
2012	inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List.

Description

Blegny-Mine, named after the village Blegny, was a major coal mine of eastern Belgium. It was the last to close in the province in 1980.

A tour at Blégny includes a video presentation called Stones that Burn, a short self-guided surface visit and an underground tour. The underground tour includes the descent with a mine elevator. Nearby is Shaft Marie, a museum of mining history and tunnel construction which is located in a former shaft from 1816. There is surface equipment of a coal mine and a detailed history of mining from the first open-cast mines to underground coal mining.

On the premises of the mine a so-called road train transports visitors between the attractions. This is actually a tractor with waggons, which is decorated like a comic railroad. Obviously intended for children, it offers explanations from a sound system for the adults. The old slag heap, where the rock removed from the mine was piled up, is now a biotope. The rock around the coal is primarily schist. These rocks are not good soil for plants, yet many plants have started to grow on the formerly bare hill.