C-Mine Expedition
Coal was discovered in 1901 at this former mine near Genk, around 15 km (9½ miles) northeast from Hasselt, and miners extracted millions of tons during its operational life from 1914 until 1988. The repurposed site is now home to a variety of new ventures, including an art school and a multiplex movie theater, but the highlight is the C-Mine Expedition. Here you can explore a series of tunnels that once led miners to and from the pithead, and learn about life above- and belowground. At one point you can stand above the lift shaft, where cages once ferried miners to their place of work around 3,000 feet below. At the other end of the scale, you can climb to the top of a 200-foot-high pit tower for a superb view of the surrounding countryside. Although the coal face itself is too deep and dangerous to visit, a VR tour takes you down in safety and comfort, and shows you how coal was mined in the 1950s.
