Beringen: from cité to terril

Mining is a thing of the past in Limburg, but the mining buildings are not. This tour takes you to a beautiful piece of industrial past. The old mining buildings of Beringen were given a new purpose. Among other things, the Flemish Mining Museum was housed there. In the second part of the walk you climb the giant mine terril. Of course you have a beautiful panorama.

1. Appointment at the information centre in the mine buildings at Koolmijnlaan 203 (N72). With this building in the back you walk to the left to walk after 200 m right through a white gate into the Park of the Director. In that park is still the ruin of the burned-down director's house. Upon entering the park, turn immediately right and follow the Finnish running track. At the primitive bank you walk straight ahead; At the fork a little further you take right and you also do that on the wide gravel road. You leave the park at the rear and turn right into the Tennisstraat. At the crossroads on the right you can see the imposing Casino (1940), the pride of the cité, now Provincial Centre for Music. You walk right next to the Casino with the Kioskplein in front of it, surrounded by the houses for mine servants (1927 and 1942). The mine designed and built everything: houses, casino, football field, schools, church, cinema.... You walk around the Kioskplein and you will arrive on the other side of the Casino. Turn right here. This way you get to the Centenary Square with the Centenary Building (1930) right in front of you. It used to be a lodging house for miners. The square is surrounded by workers' houses (1930), more austere than the servants' houses.
2. Leave the square to the left of the Centenary Building and cross the Stadionlaan at the intersection, so you will come to a path at the rear of the stadium of Beringen F.C. On the left a beautiful square. At the end of this path you will come to the Theodardus square. Here you take the wide, double Lindendreef on the right that takes you straight to the Sint Theodardus church, an impressive 'Mining Cathedral' with 77 m high tower. The architecture refers to the mine shafts. Cross the busy Koolmijnlaan via the zebra crossing and follow Kerkstraat to the right of the church. Beautiful outbuildings such as the presbytery, two chapels and a patronage hall enclose a spacious square on your left. Unfortunately, all buildings are now in disrepair. At the end of the street, turn left across the coal track. At the intersection with the Laan op Vurten, go straight ahead into the A. Habetslaan. You are now in the Tuinwijk, the oldest district of the cité (1908). Ignore all side streets, keep following the Habetslaan around the old school complex Regina Mundi, and you will reach the Laan op Vurten again. Look to the left here, to the milk house (1927). It used to provide the district with free milk, medicine par excellence for the miners. Turn left here, cross the railway and follow the Laan op Vurten until the intersection with the Stationstraat with its miners' houses. On the right you can see the Fathi Mosque with its two minarets, built in 1990-1994, witness the massive presence of Turks in Beringen-Mijn. Cross the railway again and at the end of the Stationstraat turn left. You will soon return to the entrance of the mining complex. 3.The second part of the hike is the ascent of the 125 meter high mine terril. First walk into the information center and ask if the climb is possible. You will immediately receive a free walking map of the terril. Exit the center through the back door and step past the museum tavern immediately left. You come to a concrete path that you follow to the right. Where that path makes a right-angled turn to the left, walk straight ahead, then turn left and then immediately right onto the gravel road. You step through a turnstile, cross the railway bridge and at an information board you follow the blue arrow on the right for a walk of 3.5 km. The last part is steep, with a staircase, but you will be rewarded with a beautiful panorama. Before the descent you follow the same way back and then the blue arrow takes you to the other side of the terril. On the cross road you take a left and you will come back to the information board, the railway bridge, the turnstiles and the way back to the mine site.