Nord-Pas-de-Calais Mining Basin

Nord-Pas-de-Calais Mining Basin

As the name suggests, the Nord-Pas-de-Calais Mining Basin is located in the Nord-Pas-de-Calais region of northern France. On June 30, 2012, during the 36th session of the World Heritage Committee, it was discussed and approved for inclusion in the UNESCO World Heritage List.

Over the three hundred years from the 18th to the 20th century, the landscape of the Nord-Pas-de-Calais Mining Basin was significantly shaped by coal mining. The site spans over 120,000 hectares and includes 109 separate components such as pits (the earliest dating back to 1850), lifting machinery, slag heaps (some covering more than 90 hectares and rising over 140 meters), coal transport facilities, railway stations, workers’ housing, and mining villages. These villages also feature social welfare housing, schools, religious buildings, sanitation and community facilities, as well as residences for company employees, owners, and managers, town halls, and more. The Nord-Pas-de-Calais Mining Basin site bears witness to the efforts made from the mid-19th century to 1960 to create model worker cities, and stands as a significant chapter in Europe’s industrial era. It documents the living conditions of workers, within which they grew increasingly united.

Nord-Pas de Calais Mining Basin

Must-visit reason: France’s newest World Cultural Heritage site added in 2012

Continent where the attraction is located: Europe【Europe】

Country/Region where the attraction is located: France[France]

Province/State where the attraction is located: Nord-Pas-de-Calais Region [Nord-Pas-de-Calais Region]