Industrial Path of the Lower Ourthe Valley

This train station, built between 2000 and 2009, has been design by the famous spanish architect Santiago Calatrava. This train station is often ranked in the top 10 of the most beautiful train station in the world.

Possibility to rent a bike

In the heart of the Longdoz district which used to be animated by industries, the House of Metallurgy creates links between the past and the present. On 2500 m², discover the exceptional industrial heritage of Liège, from the historical time to present. You will discover the fantastic history of the Liège iron and steel industry as well as the zinc metallurgy. Indeed, the first zinc metal ingot of Europe were cast in Liege using Belgian ore. Don't miss Napoleon's real country bathtub!

Zinc ores are naturally present in the subsoil of Wallonia and more particularly in Eastern Belgium (Eastern cantons). However, the use of zinc metal was impossible until Jean-Jacques Dony, a chemist from Liège, developed between 1805 and 1809 a technique for extracting zinc metal from ores. In 1818, A. Mosselman bought JJ's company. Dony's company and expanded by founding S.A Vieille Montagne, the country's only zinc producer, with three sites - including Angleur - producing a total of 1,833 tons. At this smelter, zinc from Belgian mines is processed into zinc ingots, which are then rolled at Tilff. During the twentieth century, the Old Mountain was weakened by two world wars, various economic crises and growing competition from other companies. Nevertheless, the company remained the leading European producer in the zinc industry for decades. In 1989 it merged with other companies to become ACEC-Union Minière. It became Umicore in 2001. The Angleur site is now a nature reserve as it is home to a special ecosystem due to its very high zinc concentration. Today, there is still an important zinc smelter in Belgium at Balen (Nyrstar - a subsidiary of Vieille Montagne). This plant produces zinc ingots from ores from all over the world. The process is explained in the video below. Sources : - Brion, René and Moreau, Jean-Louis. From the mine to Mars: the genesis of Umicore. Tielt: Lannoo editions, 2006. - Brion, René and Moreau, Jean-Louis. Urmicore: two hundred years of entrepreneurship and innovation in metals and materials. Tielt: éditions Lannoo, 2005. www.laroutedufeu.be www.vmzinc.be/fr/qui-est-vmzinc/historique-vmzinc/saga-vieille-montagne.html

The Diguette mine is an underground mine that was officially exploited from 1836 until 1882 after reaching a depth of -105m. The ore was first mined for iron (in the form of hydroxides) and then for Zinc and Lead (in the form of sulphides). Between 1853 and 1882, the mines of La Diguette and Kimkempois (whose entrance is on the other side of the hill) produced the following concentrates: -1900t of sphalerite ((Zn,Fe)S) => Zinc ore - 2300t of galena (PbS) => Lead ore - 17500t of pyrite (FeS) => formerly used to produce sulphuric acid to make fertilizer. This Lead and Zinc were then melted down into ingots at the Vieille Montagne factory in Angleur or St Léonard. Currently there are no lead and zinc mines in Belgium, despite the fact that the ore is still present in the Walloon subsoil. Zinc is currently exploited in the 4 corners of the world and the largest producers are China, Peru and Australia (USGS 2019). In comparison, the Tara mine in Ireland (9th largest Zn-producing mine in the world and 1st in Europe), produces nearly 300,000 t of Pb and Zn concentrates annually, i.e. 360 times more than the La Diguette mine. Mining techniques have evolved considerably since the beginning of the 20th century, allowing more ore to be extracted and greatly improving the safety of miners. The video below describes a commonly used mining technique: "Cut and Fill". Sources: Dejonghe,L; Ladeuze, F; Jans, D; 1993. Atlas of the Verviers Synclinorium's Plombo Zinciferous deposits. Explanatory Memoirs of the Geological and Mining Maps of Belgium, 33 : 1-483 USGS 2019. zinc commodities: prd-wret.s3-us-west-2.amazonaws.com/assets/palladium/production/atoms/files/mcs-2019-zinc.pdf

In 1837, the Vieille Montagne company bought the Tilff mill and rolling mill in order to roll the Zinc produced at the Angleur plant. Once the Zinc ore is melted at the Angleur plant, the metal is transported by boat to Tilff via the Ourthe Canal to be rolled. From this period until the end of the Second World War, the plant ran day and night, producing about 50 tonnes of Zinc per day. The rolling mill employed up to 450 people and the Veille Montagne factory was the economic heart of the village, also supporting many small businesses. The zinc rolling process is nothing like the technique used in Tilff in the 19th century. In fact, techniques have changed considerably over the last few decades, making it possible to process larger volumes with greater safety for the personnel (see video). Zinc is currently used in many everyday applications such as galvanized sheet metal or batteries... Sources: www.esneux.be/patrimoine

You are on the site of the former Monceau Rolling Mill which operated from 1872 to 1954. The site is currently occupied by 3 companies: Merybois, which has a photovoltaic panel installation with a power of 60KWp, Merytherm, which has hydroelectric turbines with a power of 200kVA and the company CBV which needs large powers to carry out tests on its equipment. This led to the installation, on site, of all the equipment necessary for the operation of a micro network including the first energy storage battery available to companies and artificial intelligence to manage and optimise energy flows. According to initial estimates, the three companies will see their energy bills fall by 15%. The aim of the project is to demonstrate that the intelligent use of micro-grids will improve the competitiveness of the companies by reducing their energy bills. Indeed, they are one of the solutions of the future for a better management of electricity networks and they will provide answers in the framework of the energy transition: any benefit for the planet and the portfolio. For many centuries, the only energy used by mankind came from windmills or water mills. The construction of these structures required only rock for the building, and wood + iron for the paddle wheel= just one type of metal. Today's small water turbines require no less than 9 metal/mineral elements! ( see picture ) This type of hydraulic small scales hydro-power plants are flourishing along our waterways (8 installations in Wallonia) in order to gradually replace part of the fossil fuels. The green energies that will be used to produce the energiy of tomorrow therefore require the extraction of many metals (which are not entirely recyclable...) from all over the world. Sources: www.spi.be/fr/news/view/1382/avec-merygrid,-la-spi-resolument-tournee-vers-lavenir Critical Metals in the Path towards the Decarbonisation of the EU Energy Sector setis.ec.europa.eu/sites/default/files/reports/jrc-report-critical-metals-energy-sector.pdf

This mining gallery was dug by the Cockerill company in 1862 to extract iron ore. This element was abundantly extracted in the region of the lower Ourthe since the Middle Ages - first written trace around 1192 - until 1880. The name Rue Laveu means "wash-house" in Walloon because it is here that the iron ore was washed before being transported to the furnaces of the Ourthe or later from Liege via the "betchettes" (these small boats that once criss-crossed the Ourthe). Until the 17th century, the washing of ore was the main activity of the village of Mery. The ore had a low content: 5-15% Fe Between 1830 and 1975, almost 8.5 million tonnes of iron ore were extracted in Wallonia, and this figure rises to 20 million tonnes if we take into account extraction estimates for all periods combined. The volume extracted is about 6.5 km3, i.e. 3 pyramids of Cheops! It should be noted that until the 18th century, Wallonia was the world's iron and steel centre, as production was so important and ore processing techniques so advanced. Currently, the biggest iron producers are Australia, Brazil or India. Mining and ore processing techniques obviously have nothing to do with what was done in Belgium in the 18th century. Gone are the shovels, winches and cramped galleries, now it's all about trucks carrying 400 tons of ore and huge open-pit mines (video). The deposits mined today thus have tonnages of several billion tonnes and grades 5 times higher than the ore extracted in the vicinity of Liège (60%Fe!). Note that an average European consumes about 320 kg of steel per year! (Worldsteel 2019) Sources: Denayer J., Pacyna D. and Boulvain f. Le Minerai de fer en Wallonie : cartographie, histoire et géologie, Editions de la Région wallonne, 2010 USGS, Iron ore commodities prd-wret.s3-us-west-2.amazonaws.com/assets/palladium/production/s3fs-public/atoms/files/mcs-2019-feore.pdf www.worldsteel.org/en/dam/jcr:96d7a585-e6b2-4d63-b943-4cd9ab621a91/world%20steel%20in%20figures%202019.pdf

The principle of the lime kiln is to calcine limestone (CaCO3) at temperatures of about 900 degrees in order to transform it into lime (CaO) after a CO2 degassing. CaCO3 => CaO + CO2 Due to its many properties, this lime can then be used in many fields such as : Agriculture and forestry: improving soil quality Construction: manufacture of mortar and concrete Metallurgy: iron, zinc, copper, aluminium metallurgy... Environment: water and smoke treatment ......And in many other unsuspected applications of our daily life such as in the sheets of paper or in the water we drink! Discover all these applications through a playful game on: www.eula.eu/about-lime-and-applications/lime-in-daily-life/ Numerous lime kilns are present along the Ravel (Tilff, Mery, Esneux, Comblain) and testify to the intense industrial activity of the region. Indeed, lime is a product of local importance because its cost increases in proportion to its transport from the source. In these kilns, limestone rocks are alternated with charcoal in order to ensure continuous calcination of the rocks. Modern lime kilns use natural gas as fuel. They are much more energy efficient and the calcination of limestone is better controlled. The lime production chain is explained in the video. Source: European Lime Association: www.eula.eu/

The Gombe quarry was formerly exploited for the production of sandstone ashlars but is currently used as a diving centre by the Centre Liégeois d'Activités Subaquatiques (C.L.A.S). The sandstone from the Gombe quarry is a sedimentary rock formed by the accumulation and compaction of silica grains that were deposited in the area 360 million years ago. This rock is abundantly used in our region for the production of aggregates (used for concrete or roads) and dimension stones (construction materials). Two kilometres from here, the Anthisnes wood quarry currently exploits this same strip of sandstone. In the video, you will find an explanation of the production process for aggregates and ashlar. Historic village buildings often bear witness to the nature of the bedrock; for example, the houses in Esneux are made of sandstone while those in Tilff are made of limestone rubble. Many of the streets of Liège are covered with sandstone paving stones from the Gombe-Montfort quarries.

The quarry of La Préalle exploits limestone rocks for the manufacture of rubble and bluestone* type cut stones. The limestone rock at La Préalle was formed about 350 million years ago by the accumulation and cementing of fragments of organisms with limestone components, crinoids. Belgium has a historical know-how in ornamental stone cutting, particularly in the region of Soignies where the largest ornamental stone quarry in Europe is located. You will discover the complete process in the attached video. * Belgian Blue Stone has been used since the 16th century and worked on an industrial scale since the 19th century. This stone is also called (wrongly) "small granite" and is highly sought after for its aesthetic properties. Sources: www.pierresetmarbres.be/carrieres-de-la-prealle/

The Chanxhe limestone quarry is operated by the Sagrex firm to produce limestone aggregates. Production is estimated at 300,000 tonnes of limestone per year. After being blasted, the limestone fragments are sorted by size (granulometry) and regrinded if necessary. This results in several classes of products according to their grain size: -Sand (0-4mm) -Gravel (4-8mm or 4-12mm) -Ballasts (20-31mm) -Moellons Due to their good geomechanical properties, these limestone aggregates will be mainly used for the manufacture of concrete. In 2019, Belgium produced approximately 12 million tonnes of concrete, or more than one tonne per inhabitant! Source: www.sagrex.be/fr/node/6816