CHARBONNAGE DE FORTE-TAILLE [BE]

Exploration #245 Charbonnage de Forte-taille. The “Charbonnage de Forte-taille” was an old coal mine in Montigny-le-Tilleul, Belgium.

Coal was mined there as early as 1755, through shallow tunnels or by exploiting deposits on the ground. In 1865, a concession was granted to excavate the first deep coal mine, accessible via the shaft called Avenir1, at that time one of the deepest in Europe. Ten years later, in 1875, the SA Franco-Belge du charbonnage de Forte-Taille was founded, which exploited the deposit until its closure in 1935. The closure of the mine was also due to many accidents that led to the deaths of many miners.

The land and buildings were more used as storage by a neighboring company and then used as a deposit for unauthorized waste. In 2002, the head frames were demolished and the area cleared of unauthorized waste. Since then it has been in a new state of neglect.