Bois du Cazier

The Bois du Cazier, in the Marcinelle district of Charleroi, is the site of the worst mining disaster in Belgian history and one of the most important industrial heritage sites in Europe. On 8 August 1956, a fire started underground and killed 262 of the 274 miners at work that day. The site is now a UNESCO World Heritage property and houses three museums.

The Industrial Museum occupies the restored mine buildings and documents the history of coal extraction in the region, with machinery, photographs, and personal items left by the miners. The Glass Museum in the adjacent building covers the equally important glassmaking industry of Charleroi, a skill brought to the region by Venetian craftsmen in the 17th century. Both are excellent. The Art Museum rounds out the complex. The preserved headframes and slag heaps are visible from the entrance — the scale and silence of the site is affecting. Allow at least two hours.

things to do museum sight
A story
On the morning of 8 August 1956, a coal wagon was incorrectly positioned in the elevator cage at the Bois du Cazier mine. It struck an oil pipe, rupturing it and starting a fire underground. Smoke and carbon monoxide spread through the tunnels within minutes. Of the 274 miners underground, only 12 survived. Of the 262 who died, 136 were Italian migrant workers — Italy had signed a deal with Belgium that year exchanging coal quotas for immigrant labour. The disaster destroyed that agreement and prompted one of the first major revisions to European mining safety law. In Italy, 8 August is still marked as the day of the Marcinelle disaster.