Schieferstollen Recht, a special story of a slate mine

Over a span of ten years, a dilapidated monument of industrial history was transformed into a modern museum, which opened its doors in 2007. Today, the entire quarry is accessible, including for wheelchair users. You can visit the mine individually. The visit begins with an introductory film about the geology of the region and the quality of the 'blue stone'. You descend into the underground, dimly lit tunnels and follow a route along which audio poles tell you about the history of the extraction. Spectacular is the underground chamber of 14 meters high, which has been called the 'cathedral'. Remnants of the railway tracks for transporting the slate blocks are also part of the preserved heritage. When you go with a guide, the stories are more than captivating.

Since the 18th century, the slate layers of Recht in East Belgium have been mined in open-pit, until the Margraff brothers drilled a shaft in 1886 that exposed rock layers 60 meters deep. The intention was primarily to extract slates for roofing. The company employed 25 miners but ceased operations before the outbreak of World War I in 1914. The reason was that the quality of the slates was less interesting than competing quarries in, among others, nearby Vielsalm or those in the Semois region. The roofing slates from Recht were indeed much thicker.

Jan Rymenams