Abandoned coal mine somewhere in France. I have to admit that I really have something for the mining industry. I don’t really know why, maybe because it’s been a big part of my country’s history, maybe because of the very hard work it represents, and also maybe because it is the symbol of social struggles and the fight of the people for their rights…
This coal mine had five mine pits. The first one has been built around 1904. In 1985, an explosion occured underground and killed 22 workers. In 1997, the coal mine closed its doors for good. A part of it has already been demolished, but still there remains some buildings and three headframes. I’ve been able to explore two buildings: the old powerplant and the shower building. The architecture of these buildings is very impressive, as with most of the old industrial buildings, though the decay has already taken its toll on them. The place is not so much vandalised thanks to the presence of a guard, which I fortunately didn’t met but that arrived while I was in the old powerplant and that made my adrenalin level rise ! A real pity those building are left abandoned…
