HFB [BE]

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Exploration #261 HFB. Hauts-Forneaux B (HFB), located in Seraing near Liège, is a striking symbol of the region’s rich industrial heritage. This blast furnace, part of the larger Cockerill-Sambre steelworks, played a pivotal role in the development of the steel industry in Wallonia, a region historically known as one of Europe’s industrial powerhouses.

Built in 1959, HFB was a cornerstone of the steelmaking process in Liège for decades. Its towering structure and intricate network of pipes, chimneys, and conveyor systems epitomized the industrial ambition of the mid-20th century. The furnace was designed to smelt iron ore into molten iron, which was then used to produce steel. During its peak, the furnace operated continuously, producing hundreds of thousands of tons of iron annually. It provided employment for thousands of workers, fostering economic growth and transforming Seraing into a thriving industrial hub. However, by the late 20th century, global economic changes and competition from other steel-producing regions led to a decline in the European steel industry. HFB was initially shut down in 2009, but operations briefly resumed from April 2009 until April 2010. Despite this short-lived revival, the site was ultimately closed permanently in 2011, marking the definitive end of its industrial activity.

Following its closure, HFB gained a second life as a beloved destination for urban explorers from around the world. The site became an emblem of urban exploration, showcasing the haunting beauty of forgotten spaces while preserving a piece of Wallonia’s industrial identity.

Starting from 2023, most of the HFB site was demolished, marking a significant shift in its story. However, the iconic blast furnace itself and the adjacent boiler house were preserved, reflecting their historical and cultural importance. These remaining structures stand as monuments to Liège’s industrial past, bridging the gap between the region’s legacy and its future. While much of the site is now gone, these preserved landmarks ensure that the memory of HFB endures, continuing to inspire those who cherish its history.

LA DECAPERIE DE LA PRAYE [BE]

Exploration #212 La decaperie de la Praye. La decaperie was industrial plant where metal was pickled. It closed about ten years ago, as did the steel mill and rolling mill of the same industrial group, located nearby. All the factories belonged to the stainless steel division of this metallurgical monster that is omnipresent in the region. This pickling plant had two storage units were the metal coils were automatically storages by cranes. The buildings are now an empty shell stripped of their machines but still nice the take some photos.

Pickling is a treatment that consists of cleaning the surface layer of the object. The purpose is to remove any impurities left by previous treatments that have released oxides, which occurs for example in forging and hot-rolling processes or in any other process involving the use of high temperatures. The purpose of the treatment is to make the material suitable for the subsequent stages, such as the application of an anti-corrosive layer. Pickling therefore dissolves all iron compounds that are present on the surface of the object. It is these, in fact, that are responsible for deterioration in contact with atmospheric agents.

VÖLKLINGER HÜTTE [DE]

Exploration #159. Völklinger Hütte is a steel complex located in the German town of Völklingen in the Saarland. Construction began in 1873 when engineer Julius Buch Steel installed the first machines near the town of Völklingen to produce iron girders and railway sleepers by digging iron ore in the Luxembourg mines. The factory ceased operations in 1879. The abandoned site was bought by Carl Röchling two years later and the first blast furnace was built in 1883. At the end of the 19th century, the factory became one of the most productive in Europe and the first centre for the production of beams in Germany. The centre was the first in the world to apply the dry gas purification method, creating the plant in 1911.

After the First World War, the Treaty of Versailles in 1919 granted France ownership of the coal mines, including the Völklingen plant, and placed the Saar basin territory under the mandate of the League of Nations. The plebiscite of 13 January 1935, in favour of joining Germany, obtained an overwhelming majority and the factory became German again.
During the Second World War, 13,000 men, women and children, mainly from Russia, Poland and Yugoslavia, worked in the forges and steelworks under very harsh conditions. Among these ‘Zwangarbeiter’ (forced labourers), about 260, of whom 60 were children, died in the plant. After the war, the Saar was included in the French occupation zone and the administration of the factory returned to France until it was annexed to West Germany on 1 January 1957.

From the end of the Second World War until the end of cast iron production in 1986, only minor modernisation and maintenance changes were made. The factory reached its peak production level during the construction boom. The number of workers reached over 17,000. From 1975, the global steel crisis was also felt in the Saar. The steel and metallurgical complexes in Völklingen and Burbach, under the name ARBED-Saarstahl, did not escape this decline. Thousands of workers lost their jobs and the factory stopped production in 1986.

In 1987, an association was created to preserve buildings and equipment and make them a centre of industrial heritage in the Greater Region. Ownership of the factory was then transferred from Dillinger-Hütter-Saarstahl AG to the regional government of Saarland and the site was declared a cultural monument by the regional law on the protection and preservation of monuments. The complex was listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1994: it was the first industrial monument to appear on this list (source: wikipedia).