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.

EX MONTECATINI DI MORI – ALUMETAL [IT]

Exploration #253. The Alumetal aluminium factory, also known as Montecatini di Mori, was one of the leading Aluminium factories in Italy. In operation from 1928 to 1983, the factory presented technologically advanced and innovative solutions.

Alumetal was built along the right bank of the Adige River starting in 1926 by the Società Italiana dell’Alluminio (SIDA), which was the result of an agreement between Montecatini and the German company Vereinigte Aluminium Werke (VAW). Work was completed two years later, in 1928. In 1935, following the breakdown of the agreement between Montecatini and the German company, the Società Nazionale Alluminio (SNAL) was born. The factory later passed to Montedison and in 1973 was acquired by EFIM and changed its name to Alumetal.

The factory presented technologically avant-garde and innovative solutions: it was the first plant in Trentino that exploited the energy created on site for its own needs, by means of imposing hydraulic intake works on the Adige River; its derivation canal was the longest in Italy and one of the most important in Europe (2450 m); inside the hydroelectric plant (one of the most beautiful and artistically appreciable in the entire region) were located the four most powerful dynamos on the continent. The factory also patented new models of melting furnaces, experimented with new mechanical beating systems and industrially developed smoke and dust purification and washing systems that became the object of study for the world’s leading specialists.

During the Second World War, the Montecatini di Mori was declared a war factory and depended on Fabbriguerra in Bologna. The factory’s production supplied not only the Italian but also the German war industry and, with the exception of a few classes of young men, the furnace workers were not called to arms. It was during this period that the highest number of employees was reached, at 1224. The recovery after the Liberation was slow and difficult: the crisis made its effects felt, causing a drastic reduction in the workforce, which reached a low of 250 workers. This was also due to a general mechanisation of work; the worker no longer worked in direct contact with the furnace as in the early days, but controlled the pressure by sitting on a trolley equipped with a mechanical arm to beat, thus speeding up the operation.

The last years of its life were spent in a minor tone, with a reduced number of employees. The nationalisation of electricity adversely affected the company’s course. As long as Montecatini had its own power stations, this cost a few cents, but with ENEL the prices increased tenfold. With this burden, Montecatini faced the 1970s. In the meantime, competing factories had sprung up around the world and the Mori plant was no longer competitive and susceptible to further production development. The company’s new owner, the state-owned E.F.I.M., was only a bureaucratic presence.

In March 1983, the closure became definitive.

FONDERIA STEFOR [IT]

Exploration #231 Fonderia STEFOR. The STEFOR foundry represented an important page in the Italian steel industry. The foundry was founded in 1929, on a site formerly occupied by a previous inactive foundry. Within forty years, STEFOR reached a very high technical level, developing state-of-the-art techniques in the casting of cast iron of all weights and with very high strength and in the casting of gear wheels with diameters of up to 4m. Next to the company was a well-equipped chemical laboratory that controlled the company’s various products.

The foundry was in operation until the end of the last century. Unfortunately, no information is available on the exact year and cause of its closure.

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.

FONDERIA RUOTE MARCHESINI [IT]

Exploration #174. In the 1970s, these old buildings housed a pioneering foundry. This was where the first all-magnesium motorbike wheels were made and later the first hollow-spoke wheels. At the end of the 1980s the company moved to larger premises and became a world leader in the manufacture of these products. Since 2000 the company has been under the control of Brembo.

These buildings were finally demolished in 2025.

BLACK COKES [BE]

Exploration #140. Black cokes, whose real name is Cokerie de Marchienne, or Cokerie de la Providence, is a old coke plant which dates back to 1838, when a coke-fired blast furnace was established along the river Sambre by the newborn company Société Anonyme des Laminoirs, Forges, Fonderies et Usines de la Providence (shorten Forges de la Providence). Although coke ovens were present on site since the beginning, a first modern coke plant was established in 1908 to support the three existing blast furnaces. At the time, the Providence steelworks were amongst the largest in the Charleroi region and whole Belgium too.

Improved occurred between the two world wars and in the mid 1930s, additional blast furnaces were built along with a large, modern coke plant. Equipped with a battery of 50 Koppers ovens, it had a capacity of 30.000-32.000 t/m and thus was able to satisfy the requirements of the whole site.

The two coke plants used to work side-by-side until the early 1950s, when the older one was dismantled and the newer improved. In addition to the original Koppers battery two Coppée ones were built, each one counting 26 ovens. This layout persisted for about thirty years, during which Forges de la Providence merged with several other Belgian steel companies until the creation of Cockerill-Sambre in 1981.

The latter controlled all the steelmaking sites in both Charleroi and Liège regions. Being the only one left of its kind in Charleroi, the Marchienne coke plant was improved through the addition of a fourth battery of 20 Didier ovens. This led to an overall capacity of 750000 t/y of metallurgical coke obtained in 122 ovens. Further corporate restructuring led to the creation of Carsid in 2001, which gathered together the last existing primary steel facilities in Charleroi, i.e. the Marchienne coke plant (Forges de la Providence), a sintering plant, a blast furnace and an OMB plant (all three originally belonging to Thy-Marcinelle et Monceau company).

Decreasing steel demand plus the obsolescence of inherited facilities made the life of Carsid lasting for just a few years. The coke plant was run down in 2008, leaving the rest mothballed until the definitive closure in 2012 (source: http://www.st-al.com/).

This industrial area was very large, here you can find explorations of the other zones: the coal injection plant, the water tower, the boiler house.

BLUE POWER PLANT [BE]

Exploration #119. The blue power plant was part of the huge, now abandoned, Cockerill-Sambre steelworks in Charleroi, Belgium. It was built to replace the old power plant aka Wet Dogs, inside the Cokerie de Marchienne, or Cokerie de la Providence. The site hosted once a blast furnace, a steelworks, a rolling mill, a power station and coke plant. Many buildings have been demolished, or partially demolished around this site but this power plant was still untouched.

The boilers was fired by a combination of natural gas and waste gas produced by the cokerie. The place offers a lot of photogenic elements thanks to its vintage aspect and lack of vandalism. Overall it has quite a steampunk vibe to it.

This industrial area was very large, here you can find explorations of the other zones: the coal injection plant, the water tower, the cokerie.

KRACHTSTROOM 70kV [BE]

Exploration #116. Krachtstroom 70kV, aka High Voltage Room or Krachtstroom Centralen, is an abandoned power plant and power distributor control room in a former busy industrial city in Belgium.

As a result of many industries stopped production, this power plant also became superfluous. The power plant had a big turbine hall completely empty and the wall with the control panel is now covered with graffiti. Next to it is the power distributor with the former 70kV line with a small nice control room. Unfortunately this building has been completely destroyed by the copper thieves.

In Germany it is possible to find another abandoned power distribution control room which is almost untouched: The Humboldt substation.

THE BLACK FACTORRY: CEGRAM – SGL CARBON [BE]

Exploration #11. This factory, founded in 1972 under the name of CEGRAM, an acronym for “Compagnie de l’Électrographite de la Meuse”, produced graphite electrodes. The company changed hands in 1994 and became SGL CARBON, an acronym for Sigri Great Lakes Carbon, a company created through the merger of Péchiney Carbone with SIGRI GREAT LAKES CARBON GmbH. At the peak of its production it employed 300 people.

Initially the factory produced electrodes with a diameter of 400 to 500 mm, a length of up to 1800 mm and a maximum weight of 800 kilograms, which were intended almost exclusively for the steel industry. Technical improvements were made during 1976, with the delicate start of the impregnation processes for styrene-butadiene products. The range of furnaces was increased to produce electrodes with a diameter of 600 mm and a length of up to 2700 mm. In 1986 a major commercial crisis occurred due to the abundance of global production and ruthless (and unfair) Asian competition. Half of the staff was laid off and the company specialised in the production of large diameter electrodes by subcontracting production from 400 to 500 mm. The company continued production until 1999 when the German headquarters decided to stop production of electrodes in Belgium. The plant continued to operate producing petroleum coke (petcoke) until its bankruptcy in 2007 when all production was stopped and the site went into judicial liquidation.

Many areas of the plant were demolished when petcoke production was transferred, others immediately after bankruptcy. To date the area still belongs to SGL Carbon but is in a complete state of abandonment. Of the former CEGRAM plant only the high tower for sieving, milling and grinding, called “black factory” by the locals, survives.

CARREAU WENDEL – COAL WASHING PLANT #3 [FR]

Exploration #108 Carreau Wendel site. Initially discovered in Saarland, the Sarrois-Lorrain coalfield was extracted on the French side in Petite-Rosselle from 1856. The site was under concession to the De Wendel family, then head of the French iron and steel empire.

The excavation of the Wendel well no. 1 began in 1865 and was completed three years later. The excavation of Wendel well no. 2 began the same year near Urselsbrunn and was completed in October 1871. In 1935, the discovery of a deep and rich coal deposit started the excavation of Wendel Well No. 3, which was completed in 1947 at a depth of 900m. In 1960, the Wendel mine could extract up to 10,000 tons of coal a day with a workforce of 5,000 miners.

The Wendel 1, 2 and 3 wells ceased operation in 1989 while some of the plants continued to be used until they were finally closed down in May 1991. Most of the mine and wells 1 and 2 have been rehabilitated and turned into a museum, while well 3 and the connected plants are still abandoned.

These photos refer to the washing plant connected to well 3. The Wendel wash-house 3 was at the forefront of modernity. It was able to carry out all the operations of sorting, screening, crushing, separation, grading and storage for a production of 5000 tons of coal per day. Simply put, the role of the washing plant is to prepare the raw coal for marketing. The main operation is to separate the coal from the waste rock (shale). To do this, the washing plant 3 has been equipped with several Wemco washing bins for dense liquids. The raw coal was fed into these drums containing a suspension of magnetite in water. The (less dense) coal floated, while the shale was recovered at the bottom. The shale (coal dust) was then treated in a flotation plant. After the addition of a surfactant, the slime suspended in water was remixed in small tanks. The coal dust, which is hydrophobic, rose to the surface in the form of foam, collected by scrapers.

2026

2017