Discover the cultural heritage of Heerlen’s coal mining industry

Download

Trail photos

Photo ofDiscover the cultural heritage of Heerlen’s coal mining industry

Author

MyWoodenShoes

with 2 trail buddies

456 42 191

See more trails from this author

Trail stats

Distance: 11.6 mi
Elevation gain: 394 ft
Technical difficulty: Easy
Elevation loss: 420 ft
Max elevation: 439 ft
TrailRank: 31
Min elevation: 265 ft
Trail type: One Way

Time: 3 hours 4 minutes
Coordinates: 1062
Uploaded: March 21, 2015
Recorded: February 2015

Be the first to clap

near Heerlen, Limburg (Nederland)

Viewed 804 times, downloaded 4 times

Trail photos

Itinerary description

A cycling tour through various neighbourhoods of Heerlen ending at the Dutch Mine Museum. The description of the waypoints are translated from the publication 'Open Monumentendag Heerlen, 2008, Sporen van het mijnverleden’, written by Roelof Braad en Jo Jamar.

Visit our travelblog:
http://www.mywoodenshoes.nl/heerlen/

View more external

Waypoints

Gen Coel

Street: Groeët Genhei A striking reminder of the mining history is the new culture cluster "Gen Coel" at Heerlerheide. The architect, Bart Wauben from Geleen, gave the representative glass building the shape of a 'Van Iterson cooling tower'. The cluster consists of the Cornelius's house (with halls and a community center), the Grand Café, district office of the municipality of Heerlen and a branch of the Public Library Heerlen. The culture cluster has an international first with its heating and cooling system of the Minewater Project. On the upper floor in the cooling tower is a power plant where the mine water from the former Oranje Nassau Mine III is pumped up and where the hot and cold water is distributed via respectively red and blue tubes.

Foremen / engineers dwellings

Street: Ganzeweide 31-41 The Oranje Nassau Mines built homes for surveyors and mining engineers, with more luxury and living space. The engineer houses even had separate entrances for servants. The houses on the Ganzeweide are built by the construction office of the Oranje Nassau Mines. The office designed the homes after the idea of the miners' houses in Lorraine. They were built shortly after the construction of the Oranje Nassau III in the period 1912-1923: one engineer's house (now demolished), second deputy surveyor houses (1920), 4 surveyors houses (1914) and four official residences (1914). They were designed by architect A. Lugten.

Former grounds of State Mine Emma

Street: Emmaweg (left & right) Left and right of the road is the former site of the Emma Mine. In 1904 the government had carried out a number of test drills in order to determine whether it was useful to open a second mine. And yes, the drills met the expectations, so in 1906 it was decided to exploit the coal deposits in the rural north of the municipality Hoensbroek. Soon it buzzed with activity. Between 1908 and 1911 the Emma mine rose on Heerlen's territory, it was named after the mother of the then Queen Wilhelmina. A railway track was built to transport the black gold; and extended to the third State mine (the Mine Hendrik), which was established in Brunssum-Rumpen and which simultaneously marked the division between the new mine and the rapidly built miners colony by the Dutch State Mines. The coal mine was in operation from 1911 to 1973. Emma was the second largest mine in the Netherlands. The underground area covered an area of 7235 hectares. At its peak, 10,000 people were working in the mine, of which 6000 underground. The former mine site is today a modern residential area, located between a park on the east side and the nursing home Emma Staete on the west side. At the edge of the park at the Wenckebachstraat a part of the wall is preserved that marked the edge of the mine grounds. In the park (opposite the petrol station) concrete parts still recall the gigantic structures of the mine. Between 1983 and 1993 the buildings of the mine were demolished. Thanks to private initiative, the stone tablet with the text "Emma mine in the year 1911" has been preserved. Catch some glimpses from the beginning of the road of the coal mine heaps Oranje Nassau IV (Witch Mountain) and State Mine Wilhelmina, on which you can see the ski course of SnowWorld.

State mine neighbourhood Treekbeek

Street: Spoorstraat - Uranusstraat - Pleinstraat and further Treebeekstraat, Wenckebachstraat. Treebeek is a place where until about a hundred years ago livestock was grazing, farmers sowed and harvested and the Count de Marchant d'Ansembourg from Amstenrade had his hunting area. Hikers could enjoy in silence the beauty of nature and the impressive vistas. In the absence of paved roads he had to put on sturdy shoes. The establishment of the Mine neighbourhood Treebeek of the Emma mine however made for a rapid, complete metamorphosis. Treebeek was built by Dutch State Mines as a real garden city after an English example. The construction of the neighborhood, which used to be part of Heerlen, Brunssum and Amstenrade, was started when the Emma mine was built (1908-1913). The different types of houses were designed by employees of the Construction Department of the State Mines which was led by Ir. A. E. Dinger. Ir. J.H.W. Leliman designed the first development plan (1918) for the first garden city of Netherlands, the floor plan for the large neighborhood (including Haansberg) between the State Mines Emma and Henry. Treebeek included houses for surveyors, guards and workers, built between 1913 and 1921.

Officers casino

Street: Uranusstraat 17 The current wellness center was built in 1919-1920 as a meeting room for officials from State Mines and is renowned by his many important events. officials had to join a special union. Especially for higher Staff casinos were built where they found entertainment, could attend a theatrical performance, or could eat or drink. The casinos (and surrounding area) were forbidden grounds for the simple miners. After the mine closure, the casino has been used as a relaxation area for the NATO officers AFCENT / AFNORTH for nearly 20 years.

Bathhouse and protestant youth center

Street: Maanstraat 13-15 (bath house) and Maanstraat 6 (youth center) The Fund for Social Institutions of the State Mines built a bathhouse for their miners in Treebeek in 1938, which had already been planned in 1918. The miners' homes in the neighborhood were built without bathing facility. The miners themselves mostly used the bathing facility at the mine itself. Their families were dependent on the "tub" or this kind of public facility, where they could take a bath for a few cents. Inside the building there were 12 showers and two bath tubs for those who were a little richer. A shower was 8 cent and a bath 23 cent. With soap and towel one had to pay 2 cent more. Showers and baths have been demolished after the closure when the building became an ambulance station in 1965. The former bathing-hall has now become a church hall and the attic for drying towels transformed into a youth room. State Mines were recruiting many miners from the north of the Netherlands, who had a Protestant background. The members of the Dutch Reformed Church of Treebeek went to church for a long time on the Kastanjelaan in Hoensbroek, which was built with funding from the mines. To provide a meeting place for the various associations of the Reformed Church Hoensbroek-Treebeek, an Association for Reformed Youth was established. The youth center was realized in 1928 and is now named Trefcentrum at the Maanstraat. From the beginning in 1934 it has been the rehearsal space for the Protestant Christian Harmony (now Harmony Orchestra) "Concordia", a still flourishing association.

Mine workers dwellings

Street: Treebeekstraat The Treebeek Street is one of the first streets in the housing scheme Treebeek of ir. Leliman. The houses are built around 1918.

Time window 'State Mine Emma'

Street: corner Wenckebachstraat/Ringstraat In memory of the mining history the municipality of Brunssum placed a metal frame here in 2007, showing an old mine picture. The time window recalls the image of the previous situation. Because of the transparent background of the picture, one sees, as it were two situations at the same time. The old situation in the picture and the current situation on the background.

Dwellings for officers and supervisors

Street: Wenckebachstraat/Treebeekstraat For (main) supervisors and officials stately homes were constructed close to the entrance of the mine. In the event of a mine disaster these senior employees were quickly at the site. These homes are from the time of the construction of the Treebeek neighborhood, shortly after the mine came into full operation.

Plaques of State Mine Emma

Street: Akerstraat Noord Where once the headframe of the Emma mine dominated the picture, nowadays very little reminds of the mine history. Instead, we see "Emma Staete ', a relatively new nursing home at the Akerstraat Noord in Brunssum. Its official opening was on May 19, 2006. At St. Barbaraday (December 4th) in 2006, of the holiday of the mine workers, the old bricks from 1911 of the State Mine Emma were placed in the park before nursing home "Emma Staete", which is on the site of the former main shaft. The plaques, four in total, labeled "Emma mine in the year 1911", decorated the front yard of the DSM Headquarters in Heerlen after the demolition of the Emma mine in 1983. On the initiative of Henk Has, Jan van der Sword and Hans Mantelaers, and with the cooperation of DSM and municipalities Brunssum and Heerlen, the plaques returned to the original location. They were revealed by alderman Richard de Boer of the town of Brunssum and alderman Cor Duijf of the municipality of Heerlen.

Bachelors house

Street: Heisterberg 4-8 The bachelor house of State mine Emma on the Heisterberg was built in 1920 and was an initiative of the Association "Het Goede Kosthuis" and founded in 1915 by the head chaplain of Social Works, Dr. Henry Poels. It was intended as a residence for unmarried (Catholic) miners. The clergy has always had a big mark on this kind of bachelor houses, resembling a monastery. The housekeeping was done by nuns who kept on eye on strict house rules: no alcohol, no swearing, no female visitors and a curfew at 23.00 hrs. Just enough time for the mine workers to get home after the afternoon service ending at 22.00h. Of the bachelors house only a portion of facade remains. In the nineties the entire building at the back was demolished to make room for modern apartments.

House Loma

Street: Buttingstraat 24 House "Loma" was built in 1928 as a bachelors house for protestant bachelor miners by the Amsterdam Youth Alliance. Reformed architect Arnoldus Ingwersen from Amsterdam was hired for designing the plan. The building therefore has all the characteristics of the Amsterdam School and is one of the few buildings in this style in Hoensbroek. After the opening management and leasing of the approximately thirty rooms were transferred to the Limburg Organization for Young Men (LOMA). After World War II there was hardly any interest in this form of housing and the property was sold to Foundation "Avondvrede", that exploited the building till April 1972 operated as a retirement home for about 35 elderly. In April 1972 the elderly moved to new premises. After 1972 house Loma has been used as an apartment buidling for single men.

Mine workers dwellings

Street: Nieuwenhofstraat / Buttingstraat Special miner homes of the back-to-back type are found at the Buttingstraat. There is even a house with a coal cart (Nieuwenhofstraat 16) in the garden. The houses are on the list of monuments and were built by the Dutch State Mines between 1908 and 1910 (design: Bouwbureau State Mines) and are the first homes, which are built at the Emma mine by this agency.

St. Jozef church

Street: Verlengde Wilhelminastraat Due to the large increase in population a new parish was necessary for the people in Treebeek and Passart. Therefore a new parish was founded in 1930 and immediately an emergency church was erected. In 1939 architect Alfons Boosten was commissioned to design a church building, but during World War II nothing became of the building. In 1948, the contract was renewed and on December 23 1951 the church was inaugurated. We see typical features of the architecture of Boosten: round arch structures, height staggered roofs and an open truss.

Mine water project and stone heap Oranje Nassau III De Koumen

Street: Terhoevenderweg The stone heap of Oranje Nassau Mine III, located along the Caumer creek, was transformed into the city park "In the Koumen" after the closure of the mines. A few hundred meters before the roundabout the Mine Water project has in recent years successfully drilled to reach the pitheads to develop a "green" heating / cooling system with mine water.

Mine workers dwellings

Street: Rennemigstraat The neighborhood Rennemig arose during the construction of the mine Oranje Nassau III. The Building Office of the Oranje Nassau was responsible for the design of this characteristic and extremely solid 74 dwellings, which were built in the period 1914-1918 to the right of the Rennemigstraat. On the left (numbers 24 to 54) are 16 officers residences. These are also built by Oranje Nassau Mines and designed by architect Lugten in 1918, 1920 and 1923.

Mine Water Project - plow plane

Street: roundabout Ganzeweide For long time a derrick was situated at this roundabout which received much attention from former miners. Here, too, mine surveyors accurately mapped the underground pithead to tap water for the supply of hot water to the heating plant in Gen Coel. Now, only a green bin can be seen that shows the beginning of the pipes. When the roundabout was constructed, it was decided to place a reminder of the mining industry as an eye catcher: a plow plane. The plow plane stands for modernization of the coal mining industry after the second World War. The plane moved along the coal seam so the coal fell into launders and could be discharged into the waiting coal carts. The plow plane was not immediately a success, given the coal seams were of of varying thickness. Already in 1955 more coal was extracted manually than (half) mechanically.

Wall remnants railway bridge

Street: Schelsberg Wall remnants left and right of the road after the first houses on the right, mark the dike and the place of the railway bridge of the line between the mines Oranje Nassau IV and III. The railway was built in 1926 during the construction of the mine Oranje Nassau IV. The striking white steel bridge was demolished in the late 1980s when the remediation of the sites of the Mines Oranje Nassau I and III was largely completed. For a long time trucks drove on this bridge to transport the surplus of stone waste from the stone heaps of both mines to a large gap created by the silver sand mining near the Heideveldweg.

Mine workers dwellings Beersdal

Miners Homes Oranje Nassau - Schelsberg 61-109 (Beersdal) (with coal wagon at no. 75) Around the Oranje Nassau Mine I several mining villages (colonies) resurrected. Because of the increase in production the mine management recruited much staff and they built the large colony Beersdal for their housing, with 280 homes between 1911 and 1918. The first inhabitants of the area were many former Belgian soldiers during World War I. They fled to the Netherlands and were employed to work in the mines when the demand for coal increased.

Oldest mine workers dwellings Musschemig

Streets: Saffierstraat – Granaatstraat - Diamantstraat The neighborhood Musschemig is the oldest remaining miners colony in Heerlen. The management of the Oranje Nassau Mines left 137 homes originally built between 1900 and 1918. The first colonies of miners were not so popular in those days. Because there was housing shortage many miners had lodgers. The newspaper was regularly reporting brawls and drunkenness, a thorn in the eye of the native inhabitants and especially the Catholic Heerlen clergy.

Patronage

Street: Sittarderweg 143 Architect Wielders from Sittard was responsible for the design of the patronage at the Sittarderweg which was built in 1920 for the headship of the Minors of H.H. Martyrs of Gorkum. In the specifications, a provision was included that the contractor was not allowed to pay people less than "is indicated by the local wage standard". Also provisions were included on overtime (time longer than the maximum working time of 10 hours per day). The necessary land was donated by the Oranje Nassau mines, although related to the donation was a provision that required a sum of 14,405 guilders to be paid. Nevertheless, it is called a donation. The Roman Catholic Foundation Patronage St. Anthony, founded on 28 August 1950, sold the Patronage in 1958 to Brand's brewery for 85,000 guilders. Meanwhile the monument has been given a new destination after a major renovation.

Mine workers dwellings

Street: Sittarderweg 112 and Grasbroek Already in 1909 the construction bureau of the Oranje Nassau Mines started the construction of homes for miners, foremen and engineers in Grasbroek and the Sittarderweg. The blocks are connected back-to-back and house four units for mine workers. These are built in the period 1909-1915. Because the homes were built back-to-back the plots were optimally used to maximize the garden.

Supervisors and officers dwellings

Street: Sittarderweg On the Sittarderweg eight supervisors homes were built by the Oranje Nassau Mines in 1909. These have now been demolished. What remains are two deputy supervisor houses (nrs. 70-72) and twenty officers residences (nrs. 74-112), which are designed by architect Lugten and were built between 1909 and 1915. The houses today are on the monument list.

END: Dutch Mine museum

Street: Kloosterweg 1 Shaft and collection building of coal mine Oranje Nassau I are a design of A. Mehler and were built in 1899. The Oranje Nassau Mine I has done 75 years of service, between 1899 and 1974. The brick building of the shaft has facade architecture with arches, tilts and turrets. This building has been designed in Neo-Romanesque style. The shaft tower belongs to the 'Malakow type'. This form originated in the Ruhr area and in the coal basin of Aachen. The open steel headframe belongs to the kind that has been developed in Saarland around 1900. the material and the construction thereof are important because the concrete frames of all other mines are demolished. In the collection building the almost original, steam powered winding engine is still present.

Comments

You can add a comment or review this trail