The Lorraine coalfield shaped the identity of Moselle for nearly 150 years. From our cottage in Bening-lès-Saint-Avold, located in the heart of this coal region, discover the iconic sites that tell the story of miners and the steel industry.
🎖️ Sites to visit
🪨 Les Mineurs Wendel Museum
📍 15 km (20 min) • Petite-Rosselle, Moselle
Descent into a real mining gallery 300 meters underground. Guided tour with former miners, period equipment, authentic reconstructions.
- ✓ Authentic visit in underground gallery
- ✓ Former miners as guides (unique testimonies)
- ✓ Museum and permanent exhibition
- ✓ Accessible for families
🎡 Parc Explor Wendel
📍 15 km (20 min) • Petite-Rosselle, Moselle
Former mine site transformed into a cultural and recreational park. Listed 34-meter headframe, interactive exhibitions, shows, cultural events.
- ✓ Historic 34m headframe (listed monument)
- ✓ Immersive multimedia exhibitions
- ✓ Regular cultural events
- ✓ Combined with Mine Museum (same site)
🏔️ Merlebach Quarry
📍 8 km (12 min) • Freyming-Merlebach, Moselle
Former industrial quarry now a remarkable natural site. Panoramic hiking trails, fauna and flora recolonizing the area, exceptional viewpoint.
- ✓ Accessible hiking (marked trails)
- ✓ 360° panoramic viewpoint
- ✓ Industrial heritage + wild nature
- ✓ Free, ideal for families
🏭 Völklinger Hütte
📍 35 km (35 min) • Völklingen, Germany (Saarland)
UNESCO World Heritage Site. The largest fully preserved steelworks in Europe. Monumental industrial architecture, contemporary art exhibitions, interactive museum.
- ✓ UNESCO World Heritage Site
- ✓ Self-guided or guided tours (French/German/English)
- ✓ Temporary contemporary art exhibitions
- ✓ Panoramic restaurant on site
🏘️ Mining Settlements
📍 8-15 km (12-20 min) • Freyming-Merlebach & Petite-Rosselle
Typical row house architecture, workers' settlements built for miners. Authentic testimony of the daily life of the "Black Faces" and their culture.
- ✓ Unique architecture (row houses, workers' gardens)
- ✓ Marked discovery walks
- ✓ Living social and cultural heritage
- ✓ Free self-guided visit
🔺 Saarpolygon
📍 25 km (30 min) • Ensdorf, Germany (Saarland)
Spectacular 30-meter monument on a slag heap, symbol of mining reconversion. Unique contemporary architecture, 360° panoramic view over the Franco-German region.
- ✓ Monumental contemporary architecture
- ✓ Exceptional 360° panorama
- ✓ Symbol of Franco-German cooperation
- ✓ Free open access
🗺️ Map of sites from our cottage
📍 Bening-lès-Saint-Avold in the heart of the coalfield: between 8 and 35 km from all sites
📍 Sites marked on the interactive map
Starting point
15 km • 20 min
15 km • 20 min
8 km • 12 min
35 km • 35 min
8-15 km • 12-20 min
25 km • 30 min
📸 The atmosphere of mining heritage
Dive into the world of the "Black Faces" and heavy industry
Underground life
Miners in the depths of the mine
Historic headframes
Symbols of the coalfield
Panoramic slag heaps
Landscapes shaped by industry
📖 The coal mining era in Moselle
⚒️ 1850-1990: The golden age of coal
The Lorraine coalfield was one of the most important in France. At its peak in the 1960s, it employed more than 60,000 miners and produced 15 million tons of coal per year.
👷 The "Black Faces"
The miners, nicknamed "Black Faces" because of coal dust, forged a unique working-class culture: solidarity, social struggles, Polish and Italian traditions (strong immigration).
🏭 Industrial reconversion
After the closure of the last mine in 2004 (Simon Pit in Forbach), the region began reconversion towards culture, tourism and renewable energy. The mining sites are now memorial sites and tourist attractions.
🌍 UNESCO Heritage: Völklinger Hütte has been listed as a World Heritage Site since 1994, recognizing the importance of this industrial heritage.
🗺️ Recommended tours
⏱️ Half-day tour: Petite-Rosselle mining heart
- Mine Museum (15 km, 20 min) - 2h30 guided tour
- Parc Explor Wendel (same site) - 1h30 discovery
- Mining settlements - Free walk in the row houses
💡 Ideal for a first discovery: everything is on the same site!
📅 Full-day tour: Grand heritage tour
- Morning: Mine Museum + Parc Explor (15 km) - 4h
- Lunch: Restaurants in Petite-Rosselle or Freyming
- Afternoon: Völklinger Hütte UNESCO (35 km) - 2h30 visit
⚠️ Plan the full day: ~100 km round trip.
🥾 Nature + heritage tour
- Merlebach Quarry (8 km) - 2h hike with panorama
- Saarpolygon (25 km) - 1h visit + 360° view
- Mining settlements - Walk in the row houses
💡 For nature lovers: heritage + panoramic landscapes.
🎭 Other experiences in Moselle
