Timeline

Heritage classified

Key figures

Origin and history

The No.2 pit, known as Henri Charvet, operated by the Compagnie des mines d'Ostricourt, was dug from July 3, 1860 at Oignies and put into service in 1863. Originally designed with a wooden casing, it was reinforced by a cast iron shirt in 1870 to limit water leakage. After its destruction during World War I, it became a concentration seat in 1937, with a well widening to 5.30 metres. The modernization, slowed down by the Second World War, finished in 1950, making this site one of the most advanced in the mining basin.

Nationalized in 1946, the pit integrated the Oignies Group and was equipped with a steam machine, the most powerful in France, as well as a modern horse riding of 55 metres in 1948. The extraction ceased in 1976, followed by the filling of the well (505 metres deep) in 1977. The chivalry was destroyed in 1980, but the image mine, an educational gallery created in 1945 under earth 115A, was preserved. It allows the training of miners and the discovery of extraction techniques.

Ranked as a historical monument in 2009 (mining and mining machine), pit number 2 and its burrows (No.115, 115A) were listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2012, alongside nearby mining towns (Faisanderie, Forest) and Saint-Henri Church. These elements reflect the social and industrial architecture of the mining basin and its impact on the landscape and local communities. The burl, partially exploited or wooded, and the remaining buildings (machine room, dowel baths) recall the golden age and the decline of the coal-mining era.

Burrow 115A, located in Libercourt, houses the image mine under a vegetation cover, while Burrow 115 (telephery) was fed by a waste transport system as early as 1948. Rider ground No. 247, connecting the pit to the A1 motorway, disappeared after exploitation. The mining cities, built between the 1940s and 1950s, illustrate the functional urban planning of the post-war period, with schools and churches integrated into the UNESCO heritage.

Today, the site combines industrial memory and pedagogy. The image mine, accessible by Emile-Zola Street in Oignies, offers a reconstructed underground route, while the remains of the pit tile (converter building, garage) recall the technical innovations of the era. The annual inspections of the BRGM and the materialization of the wellhead by Charbonnages de France ensure the preservation of this emblematic heritage of Nord-Pas-de-Calais.

External links