Blegny-Mine

About the museum

The Argenteau-Trembleur colliery is located in Blegny, north-east of Liège, in the Avant-Pays de Herve. Coal mining began there in the 15th century, under the impulse of monks from the Abbey of Val-Dieu. Industrial mining started with the Trembleur concession, granted in 1779. After a thirty-year interruption, a new company resumed operations in 1919, and production peaked in 1970 at 232,000 tonnes for about 680 workers. The colliery closed on 31 March 1980: it was the last coal pit in the Liège basin.

From 1978 the provincial authorities decided to convert the site into a place for tourism and remembrance. The Province of Liège bought the colliery in 1980, and the first visitors went down as early as June of the same year. Two shafts from different eras, one from the 19th century and one from the 20th, have been preserved. The more recent one gives access to the galleries at levels -30 and -60 m.

Today, Blegny-Mine offers a guided tour of the mine and of the coal sorting and washing plant (triage-lavoir), a mining museum housed in the Puits-Marie of 1849, the discovery of a biotope on the slag heap, and a ride on a tourist train. The site is one of the four major mining sites in Wallonia inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List in 2012.

Highlights

• Descent in a mine cage to 30 and 60 m underground
• Sorting and washing plant preserved as it was when the mine closed
• Mining museum with 20 rooms in the Puits-Marie of 1849
• Slag heap biotope with a 200-step staircase and a view over the Meuse valley
• Tourist train ride through the Pays de Herve
• Major mining site in Wallonia inscribed on the UNESCO list

Permanent exhibitions

• Le musée de la mine – Housed in the Puits-Marie of 1849, the museum traces eight centuries of coal mining across 20 rooms, including the lamp room, the disaster room, the compressors and the infirmary. The exhibition is in four languages.
• La visite guidée de la mine et du triage-lavoir – Descent to 30 and 60 m underground to see the galleries, the coal face and the machinery, followed by the coal route through the sorting and washing installations, which have remained intact since the closure.
• Le biotope du terril – Audio-guided walk of about one kilometre around the slag heap, with a staircase of 200 steps leading to a viewpoint over the Meuse valley.

Founded

1980

Admission & discounts

Free admission: First Sunday of the month: free entry to the mining museum for families and individual visitors.

2026 prices per person for the “Blegny-Mine” programme (guided mine tour, self-guided museum visit and slag heap biotope), valid until 30 December 2026. The VisitWallonia.be Pass is accepted for the basic programme, the train and the super programme, but not for mini golf, the brasserie, the restaurant or accommodation. Partner discounts (including Article 27, Ligue des Familles and Passeport 365) cannot be combined. The museum is free for self-guided visits for schools of the Fédération Wallonie-Bruxelles.

Accessibility

• Partially wheelchair accessible
• Elevator: no information
• Accessible restroom
• Accessible parking: no information
• Service dogs welcome
• Tactile models & exhibits: no information
• Sign language tours: no information
• Easy-to-read materials: no information
• Audio description: no information

The mine visit is possible for people with reduced mobility only on prior request, with an adapted circuit; the standard route includes two flights of stairs (130 and 60 steps). Adapted toilets are in the brasserie. Only guide dogs are admitted on the train; animals are not allowed in the mine.

Kids & families

Great for kids & families

• Family tours & workshops
• Activity booklet, scavenger hunt or kids’ audio guide
• Playground / play area

Family programme, courses and educational sheets for children. Three free playgrounds (ages 6 to 14, 3 to 6 and toddlers), aviaries and a small animal park. The mine can be visited from a height of 1 m.

Getting there & parking

Amenities & dining

• Café
• Restaurant
• Museum shop

Brasserie “Le Puits sans Faim” and restaurant “Le Chalet”. Shop with souvenirs and regional products, bookshop and publications. Motorhome parking area at €12 per night.

Events & venue rental

• Spaces for rent
• Corporate events

Up to 1,200 guests.

Seminars and company days for up to 1,200 people per day: two technical halls (up to 700 people), exhibition rooms, a 330-seat multipurpose room, a restaurant for groups of 160, a 250-seat auditorium in the evening, meeting rooms and a green space for marquees. Accommodation with 58 beds nearby.

Plan your visit