Located between Liege and Maastricht, Blegny-Mine is one of the 4 authentic coal mines in Europe whose underground galleries are accessible to visitors via the original shaft. Wearing a jacket and a helmet, you will descend through the mine shaft to 30 and 60 metres below ground and enjoy a complete discovery of the coal extraction process.

Blegny-Mine and the 3 other major mining sites in Wallonia (Le Bois du Cazier, Bois-du-Luc and Grand-Hornu) have been recognised as a UNESCO WORLD HERITAGE since July 2012.

Guided tour of the mine (duration approx. 2 hours) + permanent exhibition (duration approx. 1 hour) + slag heap biotope (duration approx. 1 hour) (total duration of the combined programme: approx. 4 hours).

During the visit to the mine, you will discover the monkey drifts and cross-cuts, the cutting, the coal, the noise of the machines and the daily work of the "Houyeus" (miners), their hard but fascinating world.

After going back to ground level, you will follow the path of the coal in the sorting and washing installations. The whole process of coal processing, from the arrival of the ore to its transport and sale, is explained to you, including the tumblers, sieves, hoppers, the system for loading and unloading the wagons, the purification, washing and storage processes.

Nothing has changed in these buildings since they were closed, not even the lamps that light up Saint-Barbara non-stop and which the miners watch over spontaneously.

Visit the permanent exhibition "Coal... yesterday, today and tomorrow": 

The Belgian era of coal and its industrial use began in the 12th century in Liège, and ended with the haulage of the last mining trolley in Zolder (Belgian Limburg) in 1992.

Biotope of the spoil tip: 

What are the pioneer species that will colonise the arid spoil tips' slopes to prepare the ground for future biodiversity? Why does a spoil tip burn? You will find the answers to these and many other questions during the "spoil tip biotope" walk, thanks to the multilingual didactic panels and, if available, also multilingual audio guides (FR/NL/D/GB).

The tour of the spoil tip is about 1 km long. It can be completed by a climb to the top via a new comfortable staircase with 204 steps.

N.B.: To visit the coalmine, you need to be at least 1 metre tall.

Afterwards, you can also enjoy a guided tour of the Dalhem-Blegny area on a touring train, visit the playground, the recreation park and the mine-golf course, and finish with a visit to the shop.

Parking areas for motorhomes (no service) are also available on site!