A site filled with history and emotions. An absolute must see.

Thanks to an IOF (International Orienteering Federation) map featuring the relief, vegetation, constructions, visitors can explore the site, looking for markers. The latter will give information on the mining site, including their biotope structure.

A remembrance place

The Bois du Cazier highlights immigration and conditions of industrial workers. The site is known as the location of a major mining disaster on August 8th, 1956, with 262 killed. The victims came from a wide range of countries, 35 different ones in total, the majority being Italian.

The site, closed in 1967, was left abandoned for years before being revalorised thank to European funding. It opened to the public in 2002 as a touristic attraction and memorial, a place part of the industrial history of Wallonia. Following its motto "The past, present for the future", it offers a didactic trail dedicated to coal, iron and glass, showcasing human know-how with its many successes and failures.

The museums

The Bois du Cazier shelter permanent and temporary exhibitions in the following buildings:

• The Musée de l’industrie, which features tools, machines used for mining, steel works, offers incredible insight into the workers' life.
• The Musée du verre, where you can admire a selection of glass pieces produces in Belgium between in the 19th - the beginning of the 20th century, as well as more contemporary masterpieces

The digital touch

Why not download the Bois du Cazier app to explore the site? There are 4 itineraries to choose from:

• The fun trail: designed for families with children 6-12 years
• The off the beaten path: featuring 20 amazing points of interest on the site
• The heaps trail: to discover the flora and fauna of the site

Families

• Mini Miner leaflet: a playful way to explore the site
• Orienteering trail: a real challenge but not a sporty one, everyone can go at their own pace
• Family walks: the site is or
   

The Bois du Cazier is a wonderful mirror of an industrial expertise but also of its failures: a fascinating page of Wallonia's rich history.