Liège
In 1825, brothers Charles James and John Cockerill obtained a concession from the Dutch King William I to search for lead ore in Plombières.
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Walloon Brabant
In the valley of the River Thyle, a group of monks came together in 1146 to build the Villers Abbey.
Berlin
Near the Hauptbahnhof station in Berlin, Germany, the only relict of the Berliner Gewerbeausstellung from 1879 is a higgledy-piggledy staircase.
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Ruhr Area
The Schwelgern coke-oven plant, built in 2003 along the river Rhine in Duisburg, is one of the most modern, environmentally friendly and largest coke-oven plants in the world.
Limburg
With its two headframes, water towers, bathing rooms, coal washeries and unloading floors, the Beringen coal mine is the most complete mining site in the Belgian coal region Limburg.
Berlin
Plattenbau near Alexanderzplatz in Berlin? There must be a GDR history behind that. The prominent Haus der Statistik (House of Statistics) has been in disrepair since 2008.
Sardinia
In the mid-nineteenth century, the wooded no man's land around Montevecchio grew into one of the largest mining empires in Sardinia.
West Flanders
The single-track line between Waregem and Anzegem was opened to traffic at the end of 1868, but did not last long. Passenger traffic on railway line 66A was partly stopped as early as 1934, and the route between Waregem and Ingelmunster was also closed in 1950.
Wales
This old slate factory in Wales has been unemployed for a century and a half. Slate was only produced for 15 years, a commercial failure in 1850.
Limburg
The monumental coal preparation plant of Beringen is the showcase of the Beringen coal mine. Yet the four wings of the complex were threatened with demolition for years. However, in 2023, the be-NATURE project was given the green light.
Iceland
A stormy night ended dramatically for the crew of a British trawler on March 13, 1948. Their ship crashed off the rocky coast of Dritvik in western Iceland.
Liège
Height differences in the landscape, forests, or rivers? In the late nineteenth century, nothing could stop the construction of railway line 47 between Sankt Vith and Troisvierges in Luxembourg. Along with railway line 48, this route formed the historic Vennbahn, where iron ores and coal were transported.
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If you love hiking and exploring industrial history, the Minett Trail in southern Luxembourg is the perfect adventure. Winding through the country’s historic steel heartland, this trail connects old industrial sites, cultural landmarks, and striking landscapes.
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