MINA CHUKUROVO [BG]

Exploration #278. Mina Chukurovo. First worked in 1856, Mina Chukurovo near Gabra (Sofia Province) became Bulgaria’s oldest coal mine, later privatized in 2002; operations stopped in 2015 and the concession was terminated in 2020.

Located in western Bulgaria, the Chukurovo open-pit mine extracted lignite, a fast-burning coal historically used for power generation and industrial heat. Its modern phase was reshaped after privatization in 2002, when the state granted a 20-year concession—a formal attempt to keep the deposit productive in the post-socialist economy. Beneath the abandoned workings lies a much older story written in geology: the Chukurovo lignite basin belongs to the Sofia coal province and its coal-bearing sediments date to the Helvetian (Middle Miocene), formed by ancient swamp environments later compressed into low-rank coal.

The site’s decline is documented with unusual clarity: in late 2014 procedures began to suspend operations, and in early 2015 major layoffs marked the effective end of mining activity. With extraction halted, Mina Chukurovo shifted from workplace to industrial relic—an austere landscape of cut slopes and infrastructure that now preserves, in place, one of Bulgaria’s longest-running chapters of lignite history.

HFB [BE]

Gallery in progress…

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.

LANEROSSI [IT]

Exploration #170. This wool mill has its origins at the end of the 19th century, in 1873 to be precise. In a short time it became one of the major national industries, so much so that at the beginning of the twentieth century Lanificio Rossi was the largest Italian wool company, with numerous factories in the region. Many other activities were set up in parallel with the factory: workers’ housing, schools, after-work clubs and many social works.

Lanerossi produced woolen fabric for various purposes and exported it all over the world. In spite of this, at the height of the economic boom, Lanerossi went through a period of crisis from 1955 to 1957, due to poor management decisions. In 1956, in order to revive and restructure the wool mill, Giuseppe Eugenio Luraghi was called in as president and managing director and in a very short time he was able to achieve prodigious results. The share price’s spectacular gains on the stock exchange led to a great deal of speculation on it, which initially caused the main shareholders to leave, and then the success of an acrobatic and unscrupulous stock market “climb”.

In the following decade, however, the linificio again experienced a period of severe crisis. In 1987, the group was acquired by its competitor Marzotto, who, however, no longer invested in the Lanerossi brand. The various factories were gradually closed and dismantled. This plant was closed in 2005 and emptied of all machinery, with the exception of the thermoelectric plant, which was finally demolished in 2021.

UMSPANNWERK HUMBOLDT [DE]

Exploration #142. The Humboldt substation, together with the Kottbusser Ufer and Wilhelmsruh substations, forms a group of buildings designed in the mid-1920s by architects Hans Heinrich Müller and Felix Thümen for Berliner Städtische Elektrizitätswerke AG (BEWAG).

A distribution substation transfers power from the transmission system to the distribution system of an area. It is uneconomical to directly connect electricity consumers to the main transmission network, unless they use large amounts of power, so the distribution station reduces voltage to a level suitable for local distribution. Each building was reserved for one function: switcher room, power factor correction room, transformer room and control room. This was located in a separate building in the centre of the complex in its inner courtyard. The Humboldt substation served northern Berlin as an electrical transformer station until 1993. Since then, the buildings have been designated as a protected monument by the city of Berlin.

Since 2015, the digital marketing company Glispa together with the companies Movinga, Quandoo and Hometogo, have moved their headquarters to the complex now known as ‘Ampere’. The beautiful, perfectly preserved control room has now been converted as a social entertainment space for the employees of the Glipsa company.