Explore a village built on coal

Bois-du-Luc, in La Louvière (Wallonia, Belgium), is one of Europe’s oldest coal mining sites. It was once a vibrant village built around the mine, with homes and services for workers and their families. When the mine closed in 1973, the place could have disappeared. Locals stepped in to protect it and to keep its story alive.

Today, Bois-du-Luc is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and home to the Museum of the Mine and Sustainable Development. Here, the past is not frozen in time. It helps people talk about the future. Guided by a simple idea: “Think global, act local”, the museum offers hands-on activities that make sustainability easy to understand. Visitors can join zero-waste workshops, browse local markets, and explore exhibitions that connect daily choices to bigger change.

Nature is part of the journey. Former mining hills have become places to discover how plants and wildlife can return. Walks and learning activities turn these spaces into moments of surprise and wonder.

Bois-du-Luc also puts people first. The site is accessible and offers visits adapted to different needs, so more visitors can take part. It also celebrates living culture, from creative projects that bring forgotten stories back to light to local traditions that gather the community.

Saved by locals and carried forward through tourism, Bois-du-Luc stays active because people come. Ticket sales, guided visits and on-site spending help maintain the buildings, protect the collections, and fund programmes that keep the site welcoming all year round.

Bois-du-Luc is more than a museum. Step by step, it turns a mining past into a stronger, fairer future.