Start of work 1900 (≈ 1900)
Sanding wells 1 and 2.
juin 1903
Start of extraction
Start of extraction juin 1903 (≈ 1903)
Putting the pit into service.
1936
Upgrade of well No. 1
Upgrade of well No. 1 1936 (≈ 1936)
New horse riding installed.
1946
Nationalization
Nationalization 1946 (≈ 1946)
Integration into the Valenciennes Group.
28 août 1961
Implementation of well No. 3-4
Implementation of well No. 3-4 28 août 1961 (≈ 1961)
Modern operational facilities.
mars 1989
End of extraction
End of extraction mars 1989 (≈ 1989)
Permanent closure of the site.
1992
Rescue by *Terminal*
Rescue by *Terminal* 1992 (≈ 1992)
Spinning accelerating preservation.
22 février 2010
Historical monument classification
Historical monument classification 22 février 2010 (≈ 2010)
Official site protection.
30 juin 2012
UNESCO registration
UNESCO registration 30 juin 2012 (≈ 2012)
World Heritage.
25 septembre 2015
Opening of Arenberg Creative Mine
Opening of Arenberg Creative Mine 25 septembre 2015 (≈ 2015)
Film creation centre.
Aujourd'hui
Aujourd'hui
Aujourd'hui Aujourd'hui (≈ 2025)
Position de référence.
Heritage classified
The former mining site, in its entirety, comprises the following buildings: Well No. 1 with its straddling, its buildings (former recipe building and current extraction machine building) and the technical devices they contain; Well No. 2 with its straddling, basement, buildings (recipient building, extraction machine building, compressor building, workshops, vestiges of ventilators and ventilation tunnel connecting well No. 1 to well No. 2) and the technical devices contained therein; Well No. 3 with its horse riding, its recipe building including milling, as well as the two symmetrical buildings of the extraction machines and the technical devices they contain; the building containing the hangers' rooms, lampposts and dowel baths; the bridge linking the building to well 3; the electrical station; dynamitory; soil and basements within a space surrounding the protected buildings (with the exception of the dynamitery) according to the plan annexed to the decree (Box AC 160): classification by order of 22 February 2010
Key figures
Auguste Louis Albéric d'Arenberg - Administrator of the Anzin Company
Baptised in his honor.
Claude Berri - Director
Turn of *Germinal* saving the site.
Origin and history
The Arenberg pit, opened in 1900 by the Compagnie des mines d'Anzin, is a former coal mine located in Wallers, in the Nord-Pas-de-Calais mining basin. Wells Nos. 1 and 2, respectively dedicated to extraction and ventilation, began operations in June 1903. Named in honour of Auguste Louis Alberic d'Arenberg, the company's administrator, the pit quickly became one of the most productive sites, with workers' towns, schools, church and party hall built around.
In 1936, well No. 1 was upgraded with a new straddle, while the 1946 nationalization incorporated the site into the Valenciennes Group. Well No. 3-4, which began in 1954 and was put into operation in 1961, marks an era of modernization with advanced facilities, one of which is capable of processing 3,000 tons of coal per day. The site also plays a role in innovation, such as tunneling tests for the Channel Tunnel in 1984.
The extraction ceased in March 1989 after producing 31.8 million tonnes of coal. Saved thanks to the film Germinal in 1992, the site is listed as a historical monument in 2010 and registered as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2012. Today, it is home to Arenberg Creative Mine, a cinematographic creation centre, and retains iconic elements such as its three chivalries, its burls (including UNESCO No. 171), and its mining cities.
The environmental impact of mining activity is illustrated by ground No. 160 (conical, partially exploited) and No. 171 (flat, preserved). The cities, such as Arenberg or the New World, reflect the social organization around the mine, with housing, schools, and public facilities (fest hall, St.Barbe church). The site, symbol of the industrial era, is today a place of memory and culture.
The conversion of the site includes film shoots and artistic projects, while preserving its technical and architectural heritage. The classified buildings, such as the lamp factory or hangers' room, recall the daily lives of the miners, while the dynamitery and the outfalls of the firedamp testify to security measures. This site, unique in its completeness, offers a journey into the social and technical history of the mine.
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