The Dutch State Mine (DSM) Hendrik, in Dutch Staatsmijn Hendrik, 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 ...

located in

Brunssum Brunssum (; li, Broensem) is a municipality and a town in the province of Limburg in the Netherlands. The municipality of Brunssum has residents as of . Brunssum was a center of coal mining until 1973. Population centres Topography Histor ...

. It was run by the Dutch state through its company

DSM DSM or dsm may refer to: Science and technology * Deep space maneuver * Design structure matrix or dependency structure matrix, a representation of a system or project * Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders ** DSM-5, the fifth ed ...

. The mine was in operation from 1915 until 1963, when it was integrated with DSM Emma. DSM Hendrik was named after Queen Wilhelmina's husband Henry of Mecklenburg-Schwerin. The mine had four shafts. Shaft number 3 was a ventilation shaft on the Brunssummerheide near

Nieuwenhagen Nieuwenhagen is a former village in the Dutch province of Limburg. It is now a part of the municipality of Landgraaf. Nieuwenhagen was a separate municipality until 1982, when it became a part of Landgraaf. Notable natives * Harry Kempen * Jo ...

. The deepest shaft 4 was deep. Total production was 61.2 megatons of gas-rich coal that was used to produce coke.

NATO Headquarters

In 1967 when the mine was closed, the buildings were used to house the headquarters of the Allied Forces Central Europe (AFCENT). In 2012 this changed into the Allied Joint Force Command Brunssum, which still uses the site in 2023. Its facilities include a tax-free shop, a film theatre and sports facilities. Additional services are provided by the

AAFES The Army & Air Force Exchange Service (AAFES, also referred to as The Exchange and The PX or The BX) is the retailer in U.S. Army and Air Force installations worldwide. The Exchange is headquartered in Dallas, Texas, and its director/chief exe ...

US Army The United States Army (USA) is the land service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army of the United States in the U.S. Constitution.Article II, section 2, cla ...

Garrison Brunssum.

References

Coal mines in the Netherlands Buildings and structures in Limburg (Netherlands) Brunssum {{Mine-stub