Start of work on well 11 1891 ou 1893 (≈ 1893)
Initial sanding by the Lens Mining Company
1909
Setting up of well 11a
Setting up of well 11a 1909 (≈ 1909)
Complementary ventilation well open to the west
1923
Reconstruction of straddling No. 11
Reconstruction of straddling No. 11 1923 (≈ 1923)
After World War I Destruction
1946
Nationalization of mines
Nationalization of mines 1946 (≈ 1946)
Integration into the Group of Lens then Lens-Liévin
1954-1960
Crushing and commissioning of well No 19
Crushing and commissioning of well No 19 1954-1960 (≈ 1957)
66 meters built concrete tower
31 janvier 1986
Definitive closure of pit
Definitive closure of pit 31 janvier 1986 (≈ 1986)
End of extraction after 92 years of activity
2009
Classification of historical monuments
Classification of historical monuments 2009 (≈ 2009)
Protection of horse riding and technical buildings
30 juin 2012
Registration at UNESCO
Registration at UNESCO 30 juin 2012 (≈ 2012)
World Heritage with 108 other mining sites
Aujourd'hui
Aujourd'hui
Aujourd'hui Aujourd'hui (≈ 2025)
Position de référence.
Heritage classified
In total, tower and extraction building of well No. 19 with all its technical equipment; well #11 with all its technical equipment; plant building of well No. 11 with all its technical equipment (Case AI 65): classification by order of 21 December 2009
Key figures
Pierre Destombes - Director of the Lens Mining Company
Baptised in His Honour
Origin and history
Pit number 11 - 19, known as Saint-Pierre or Pierre Destombes, is a former coal mine in the Nord-Pas-de-Calais mining basin, located in Loos-en-Gohelle. Opened in 1891 or 1893 by the Compagnie des mines de Lens, it was originally composed of well No. 11, to which was added in 1909 a well of ventilation (No. 11 bis). Around the site, mining towns, schools and a church are built to house workers and their families in the municipalities of Lens, Lievin and Loos-en-Gohelle. Production began in 1894, but the installations were destroyed during the First World War and rebuilt in an architectural style typical of the Lens mines.
After the nationalization of 1946, the pit joined the Lens Group and the Lens-Liévin Group in 1952. Well No. 19, equipped with a 66-metre concrete extraction tower, was dug from 1954 and entered service in 1960. The pit became a concentration site, centralizing the extraction of several other wells (No 2, 3, 4, 7, 9, 12) until its final closure on 31 January 1986. The wells were filled in 1987, but much of the facilities, including the horse riding and extraction tower, were preserved.
Burials Nos. 74, 74A and 74B, among the highest in Europe (146 metres), are significant remains of the site, home to remarkable biodiversity (205 plant species, 82 bird species). Ranked a historic monument in 2009 and registered as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2012, pit n° 11 - 19 today symbolizes the industrial heritage of the mining basin. The site now hosts Common Culture, a national scene, and remains a major testimony to the social and technical history of the region.
The metal straddling of well No. 11, dated 1923, and the concrete tower of well No. 19, unique in the basin, illustrate the evolution of mining techniques. The adjacent working-class towns, partially renovated, as well as schools and the dispensary (registered in 2009), complete this heritage. The church of St Peter, rebuilt in 1923 after the Great War, was destroyed in 1987.
Pit number 11 - 19 played a central role in the local economy, employing thousands of workers and structuring the urban landscape. Its closure in 1986 marks the end of an industrial era, but its preservation is now a place of memory and culture. Earthbows, classified at UNESCO, have become protected natural areas, while industrial buildings house artistic events, thus perpetuating its link with the community.
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