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The Mine Depot, Waterschei

After the closure of the last coal mine in Limburg in 1992, different heritage organisations mobilised to keep the memory of the mining past alive. In 1998 a few former miners united into the Society for the Preservation of the Mining Past. The Society aimed to preserve, commemorate and promote the region’s cultural and architectural heritage, focusing particularly on the mining sites of Waterschei and Winterslag, both in Genk. With the effort of many ex-miners, they developed an active tour operation at both mine sites and organised exhibitions, screenings and memorial celebrations. In 2006 the non-profit organisation was re-named Mijn-Verleden. Under this name, they developed an active and enthusiastic volunteer operation at the former headquarters of the Waterschei mine. In addition to offering guided tours of the protected building, Mijn-Verleden also began collecting mining objects under the name Het Mijndepot. This unique collection of mine material includes a variety of tools, machines, mine lamps and other objects related to labour in the mines. These are complemented by a short film of images from underground, a series of historical photographs, and several objects from everyday life in the residential area, including the flags of the different miners’ unions, St. Barbara imagery and books on Limburg’s mining history and related subjects. KR