Identification of deposit 1817-1849 (≈ 1833)
Surveys revealing the coal deposit.
1904
Start of sanding
Start of sanding 1904 (≈ 1904)
Hollowing of the Simon No. 1 well.
22 février 1907
Start of extraction
Start of extraction 22 février 1907 (≈ 1907)
Launch of coal mining.
1914
Implementation of well No. 2
Implementation of well No. 2 1914 (≈ 1914)
Second operating well.
25 février 1985
Mining disaster
Mining disaster 25 février 1985 (≈ 1985)
Gunshot, 22 dead.
5 décembre 1997
Final closure
Final closure 5 décembre 1997 (≈ 1997)
End of coal mining.
11 juillet 2002
Historical Monument
Historical Monument 11 juillet 2002 (≈ 2002)
Protection of horses and buildings.
Aujourd'hui
Aujourd'hui
Aujourd'hui Aujourd'hui (≈ 2025)
Position de référence.
Heritage classified
Cantine (No. 4): facades and roofs; store and workshop (Nos. 5 and 6): all, excluding the forge, the construction occupying the space between the two forebodys, the elements backed on the facades, the building backed by the east façade and the storage units; Main building (No. 9): facades and roof, hall and offices, exposed structure of hanger room and grill supporting changing rooms, distribution as central inner street; Lampistry (No. 12): facades and roofs, excluding recent additions to facades and organic connections (No. 11) between lampistry and shower baths; I (No 14): the totality, allowing the necessary arrangements for the maintenance or safety of the works; Building of the well extraction machine I (No. 15): the totality, including immovable machinery by destination; power plant (No. 16): facades and roofs, including annex (No. 16b) on the east side which hosted the control room, excluding the concrete building extending it to the south, the hall and the central double revolution staircase; well II (No 36): the totality, allowing the necessary arrangements for the maintenance or safety of the works; former building of well extraction machine II (No. 38): facades and roofs (Box 46 197/6): inscription by order of 11 July 2002
Key figures
Guillaume Simon - Engineer and Director General
Name given to the mining headquarters.
Henri ou Eugène Choret - Architect of the tile
Manufacturer of the first buildings.
Origin and history
The Simon headquarters, named in tribute to engineer Guillaume Simon, was one of the main coal mines of Lorraine, operated from 1907 to 1997 in the territory of Forbach (Moselle). This five-well mine site played a key role in coal mining in the Greater East. Today, only three straddles remain, vestiges of a past industrial era.
The history of Simon's siege began with the identification of the deposit between 1817 and 1849, but it was not until 1904 that the sinking of Simon's No. 1 well began. The extraction began in 1907, followed by the construction of well No. 2 and a washer in 1908. Despite flooding in 1909, pumping enabled the activity to be revived. The 1910s saw the completion of surface infrastructure, including baths, workshops and the thermal power plant.
During the inter-war period, the site experienced intense activity. Well No. 3, dug in 1932 for ventilation, was completed in 1933. In 1938, production reached nearly 1 million tons of coal. After World War II, well No. 4 was dark in 1948, and well No. 5 in 1958. In 1973, the operation concentrated on wells Nos. 1, 2 and 5, while the others were used for ventilation.
On 25 February 1985, a blow caused the death of 22 miners, marking the last mining disaster in France. The headquarters closed permanently in 1997, after 90 years of operation. The buildings, partially demolished or converted, still bear witness to this industrial past. Some elements, such as wells No. 1 and No. 2, have been listed as historical monuments since 2002.
The reconversion of the site includes the transformation of the former school of miners into a technical high school (Lycée Condorcet), the creation of an economic zone (eurozone Forbach Nord) on the former wood park, and the possible tourist development of a lake formed in an old quarry. Despite recent degradations and fires, the site remains a symbol of the Lorrain mining heritage.
The associated wells, such as No. 3 (National Street in Forbach) and No. 4 (in Schoeneck), had varied destinies: partial demolition for No. 3, while the straddling of No. 4, converted into a TV transmitter, remained. Well 5 now houses a mining water treatment unit.
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