The Houthalen coal mine was one of seven mines in the Kempen coal basin. From 1939, the miners went underground there. The mine celebrated its heyday in 1956, producing 1.2 million tonnes of coal.

But it soon turned out that Houthalen would not be the big cash machine. The mine was quickly exhausted, and in 1964, Houthalen was closed down. That year, the mine was merged with that of Zolder and provided an underground connection.

Fusion

Both headframes and the main building have been preserved. In 2020, the municipality of Houthalen announced that it would renovate the two neglected headframes. They are 71 meters high and were built by the Belgian company La Brugeoise, Nicoise and Delcuve.

Not much remains of the Houthalen mine. Even both slag heaps were leveled to create a new industrial estate. The coal preparation plant disappeared in the 1970s.