Vineyard Mountain

Quarries with a strong story: Wijngaardberg

The Hageland distinguishes itself from other regions by its Diestiaan or witness hills. These hills are sandbanks that were left behind when the Diestiaan Sea retreated 5.8 million years ago. As soon as the sandbar came into contact with the air, the iron oxidized and the sand tangled together into a rust-brown iron sandstone.

The quarries and Diestiaan hills fulfilled different functions over the centuries. They not only provided iron sandstone but also served as shelter, playground, viewpoint and so much more. They played a role in the lives of the Hagelanders and are certainly a piece of heritage to cherish!
Mining techniques in the quarries
Over the centuries, various techniques were used to mine iron sandstone. At the first extractions, the quarry workers toiled with a pickaxe or 'pioche'.

In the early twentieth century, explosives were used. The powder was placed in holes in the quarry wall and detonated from a distance. With heavy iron rods – also called mine irons – they cut holes. "That was a special team. It was always the same people who did that. They had to place the explosives at the place indicated by the quarry master.'

After the Second World War, other more efficient mining techniques were chosen. Bulldozers, jackhammers and trucks replaced the pioche, the mining iron and horse and cart.

Source: information panel regional landscape Noord-Hageland

Eddy&Rita