The Bois-du-Luc was a

coal mine Coal mining is the process of extracting coal from the ground. Coal is valued for its energy content and since the 1880s has been widely used to generate electricity. Steel and cement industries use coal as a fuel for extraction of iron from ...

Houdeng-Aimeries Houdeng-Aimeries ( wa, Oudè) is a village of Wallonia and a district of the municipality of La Louvière, located in the province of Hainaut, Belgium. The village contains two UNESCO World Heritage sites; its 16.93 m high boat lift was listed ...

, near

La Louvière La Louvière (; wa, El Lovire) is a city and municipality of Wallonia located in the province of Hainaut, Belgium. The municipality consists of the following districts: Boussoit, Haine-Saint-Paul, Haine-Saint-Pierre, Houdeng-Aimeries, Hou ...

, in

Belgium Belgium, ; french: Belgique ; german: Belgien officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a country in Northwestern Europe. The country is bordered by the Netherlands to the north, Germany to the east, Luxembourg to the southeast, France to th ...

which today is preserved as an industrial heritage site. As well as the site of the headquarters of the ''Société des Charbonnages de Bois-du-Luc et d'Havre'', the Bois du Luc was the site of the

Saint Emmanuel Saint Emmanuel (died ''c.'' 304), was arrested and executed at Sirmium, in what is now Serbia, with 42 other martyrs, including Quadratus (Codratus) and Theodocius, in 304 as part of Diocletian's persecution of the Christians. Their feast day ...

Pit (''Fosse Saint-Emmanuel'') which belonged to the company. The ''Fosse Saint-Emmanuel'' was one of the oldest mines in Belgium, with recorded activity dating back to 1685. The company ceased mining in 1973. The Bois-du-Luc is particularly known for the surrounding

company town A company town is a place where practically all stores and housing are owned by the one company that is also the main employer. Company towns are often planned with a suite of amenities such as stores, houses of worship, schools, markets and re ...

(''cité ouvrière'') which was created for the mine works during the 19th century and is today one of the most notable surviving remnants of

industrial paternalism Welfare capitalism is capitalism that includes social welfare policies and/or the practice of businesses providing welfare services to their employees. Welfare capitalism in this second sense, or industrial paternalism, was centered on industrie ...

in Belgium. It includes workers' housing which dates from the 1830s and covers approximately . The site, run as an

ecomuseum An ecomuseum is a museum focused on the identity of a place, largely based on local participation and aiming to enhance the welfare and development of local community, local communities. Ecomuseums originated in France, the concept being develope ...

since 1983, features on the

European Route of Industrial Heritage The European Route of Industrial Heritage (ERIH) is a tourist route of the most important industrial heritage sites in Europe. This is a tourism industry information initiative to present a network of industrial heritage sites across Europe. The a ...

and is one of the four Walloon mining sites listed by

UNESCO The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) aimed at promoting world peace and security through international cooperation in education, arts, sciences and culture. It ...

as a

World Heritage Site A World Heritage Site is a landmark or area with legal protection by an international convention administered by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). World Heritage Sites are designated by UNESCO for h ...

under the

Major Mining Sites of Wallonia The Major Mining Sites of Wallonia is a UNESCO World Heritage Site comprising four sites in Wallonia in southern Belgium associated with the Belgian coal mining industry of the 19th and 20th centuries. The four sites of the grouping, situated in t ...

listing.

Images

Bois-du-Luc CM JPG.jpg, Gates to the ''Fosse Saint Emmanuel'' Bois-du-Luc workers' housing (DSCF7864).jpg, Workers' housing Bois-du-Luc CM0JPG.jpg, Director's house Bois-du-Luc CM7JPG.jpg, Church of

Saint Barbara Saint Barbara ( grc, Ἁγία Βαρβάρα; cop, Ϯⲁⲅⲓⲁ Ⲃⲁⲣⲃⲁⲣⲁ; ; ), known in the Eastern Orthodox Church as the Great Martyr Barbara, was an Early Christianity, early Christian Lebanese and Greek saint and martyr. Acc ...

Bois-du-Luc foundry (DSCF7869).jpg, Foundry

External links

Official website

at 365.be {{Authority control European Route of Industrial Heritage Anchor Points Mining museums Industry museums in Belgium Museums in Hainaut (province) La Louvière Coal mines in Belgium

Further reading

Images

External links