A UNESCO World Heritage Site, the Bois-du-Luc mine site is an exceptional testimony to the Industrial Era. This fully-preserved, authentic heritage offers an eloquent illustration of the impact of industrialisation on a technical, environmental, architectural and social level.
The site relates the exceptionally long story of a mining company founded in 1685, that closed its doors in 1973. The Fosse Saint-Emmanuel pit opened in the hamlet of Bois-du-Luc in 1846 and formed the hub of this remarkably well-preserved industrial and social complex. Further to the strikes of 1893, the workplace was fitted with guillotine doors that were sealed shut in case of a threat of rebellion.
Opposite the workplace lies a remarkable mining village, featuring various social, cultural, festive and religious facilities built between 1838 and 1923. Belgian's first Ecomuseum has occupied the site since 1983 in the aim of safeguarding and promoting both the tangible and intangible aspects of industrial heritage. The Bois-du-Luc mine site is one of the anchors of the international ERIH network (European Route of Industrial Heritage).
References:The Clementinum is a historic complex of buildings in Prague. Until recently the complex hosted the National, University and Technical libraries, the City Library also being located nearby on Mariánské Náměstí. The Technical library and the Municipal library have moved to the Prague National Technical Library at Technická 6 since 2009. It is currently in use as the National Library of the Czech Republic.
Its history dates from the existence of a chapel dedicated to Saint Clement in the 11th century. A Dominican monastery was founded in the medieval period, which was transformed in 1556 to a Jesuit college. In 1622 the Jesuits transferred the library of Charles University to the Klementinum, and the college was merged with the University in 1654. The Jesuits remained until 1773, when the Klementinum was established as an observatory, library, and university by the Empress Maria Theresa of Austria.