La maison des Terrils

Useful Information

Location:	Rue Chantraine, 161, 4420 Saint-Nicolas. From Brussels E40 motorway, E25 Liège/Luxembourg, exit 32 Ans/Montegnée, turn left Rue Jean Jaurès N682, follow the signs to “Maison des Terrils”. (50.6287510, 5.5115341)
Open:	All year mon-Thu 10-17, Fri 8-12, Sat, Sun 10-18. [2024]
Fee:	free. Audio guide EUR 2. [2024]
Classification:	Slag Heap Coal Mine
Light:	Incandescent
Dimension:
Guided tours:
Photography:
Accessibility:
Bibliography:
Address:	La maison des Terrils, Rue Chantraine, 161, 4420 Saint-Nicolas, Tel: +32-80012231. 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

1907	wash house built.

Geology

Description

La maison des Terrils (The Slag Heap House) is located between two huge slag heaps of the Belgian coal mining. They are named Terril du Gosson I and Terril du Gosson II and are about 180 m asl high. Both are used as park, with trails and roads for bikes. The maison des Terrils is located in the former wash house of the former Gosson coal mine, and is a café and a museum about the coal mining history. The building was used as a miners' shower and cloakroom.

The site was transformed into a park, but it is also a sort of nature reserve. It's not allowed to leave the trails, and the slag of coal mines is rather harmless, in comparison to uranium or mercury ines. Decades after the heaps were abandoned, a unique biotope has developed. Natagora created an inventory of 500 varieties of plants, 90 bird species, 40 butterfly species and 20 beetle species. The 40 ha have become a sort of green lung of the town. As a result, not only the artworks on the site but also a large part of the exhibition is dedicated to this extraordinary biodiversity.