Visits
The mine, the museum, the train and the slag heap: build your day at Blegny-Mine.
The guided tour of the mine and the sorting and washing plant
A unique experience 30 and 60 metres underground!
Put on your jacket, adjust your helmet and go down the mine cage, like a real miner, into the underground galleries 30 and 60 metres below the surface!
You discover the cross-cuts, the roadways, the coal face, the coal, the noise of the machines and the work of the men. For the length of a visit, you experience the hard yet fascinating world of the “houyeux” (miners).
Back “at ground level”, you follow the path of the coal through the sorting and washing plant: tipplers, screens, hoppers, the system for loading and unloading the mine wagons, and the purification, washing and storage processes. The whole coal-processing chain is shown to you, from the arrival of the ore to its transport and sale.
Nothing has changed in these buildings since they closed, not even the lamps that permanently light up Saint Barbara, over which the miners spontaneously keep watch.
Individuals and families
For groups of fewer than 15 people, the guided tour is included in the “Blegny-Mine programme”, together with the visit of the permanent exhibition and the slag heap biotope.
Groups (min. 15 people): prices and offers
Schools: prices and offers
Practical information
Equipment
The temperature down below is around 15 °C. A jacket and a helmet are provided. The mine can be visited from a height of one metre.
Accessibility
The underground circuit has been adapted for easy access. The only difficulty: two flights of stairs (130 and 60 steps). Visits for people with reduced mobility are possible on prior request, with an adapted route.
Noise of the machines
The noise of the machines may frighten the most sensitive visitors: the guide always warns you before starting them.
Guides and languages
Group visits are held alternately in French and Dutch, by reservation. Depending on guide availability, visits in English, German, Italian and Spanish are possible for groups (min. 15 people).
The guide is included in the price. To have the guide exclusively for your group, a supplement of €68 per guide is charged (+ €14 on Sundays and public holidays), to be specified when booking.
Groups
To guarantee a quality visit, the number of visitors per guide is limited: the exact number of participants must therefore be known in advance.
If some people do not wish to go down (claustrophobia, stairs…), a visit to the permanent exhibition can be booked in the same time slot. Animals are not allowed in the mine.
In the galleries
A question? A booking?
Blegny-Mine, rue Lambert Marlet 23, 4670 Blegny — +32 (0)4 387 43 33 — domaine@blegnymine.be
The mining museum
Eight centuries of coal mining, told in the site’s permanent exhibition.
After the descent into the galleries, the permanent exhibition continues the discovery: at your own pace, you walk through eight centuries of coal mining.
The visit is self-guided. A guided tour of the museum is possible for a supplement. The museum is part of the “Blegny-Mine programme”, along with the guided tour of the mine and the slag heap biotope.
Some members of your group don’t want to go down the mine? They can visit the permanent exhibition in the meantime.
The full programme
Mine + museum + slag heap biotope, for a day full of discoveries.
The tourist train ride
A ride of about 50 minutes through the orchards of the Basse-Meuse and as far as the old town of Dalhem.
In season, hop aboard the little tourist train to travel through the orchards of the Herve region and discover the old town of Dalhem.
The ride is offered as an option, for a supplement. It is easily added to the Blegny-Mine programme to make a full family day.
Departures at 13:30, 14:30, 15:30 and 16:30, in season. Check the ticket office for running days.
The slag heap biotope and the tree trail
A walk with an audio guide to discover life on and around the slag heap.
The slag heap, this large pile of rock left by coal mining, has become a natural habitat in its own right. The tree trail takes you across it on foot, guided by an audio guide.
This discovery is part of the “Blegny-Mine programme”, along with the guided tour of the mine and the permanent exhibition.
The super programme
A whole day of discovery at Blegny-Mine.
This programme includes
- the guided tour of the mine and the sorting and washing plant (± 1 h 45)
- the visit of the mining museum (± 1 h)
- the guided ride on the tourist train through the Dalhem-Blegny countryside (± 50 min)
- the audio-guided discovery of the slag heap biotope (± 50 min)
For this package, you must arrive before 12:30.
Ready for the day?
Book your tickets online.