In the second half of the 19th century, iron ore from Lorraine and Luxembourg appeared to be on the decline. When pig iron was converted into steel using the Bessemer process, the result was far too brittle.
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The Belval blast furnaces in Esch-sur-Alzette are the last remnants of the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg steel industry. In 1997, the steel factory was shut down for good, only to rise like a phoenix from its ashes a few years later.
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