The Coal Mine In Eisden, Belgium. Faded Glory Editorial Photo

The Eisden Coal Mine in Belgium, located in the Limburg Maasland, was one of the seven mines in the Kempen Basin. The mine, established in 1907, had to do everything in its power from the start to attract - mainly - unskilled miners in this relatively sparsely populated border area. The underground storeys were at 600, 700 and 780 m with a small storey at 900 m that was accessible via sloping galleries. These ran in all directions and close to the bed of the Maas. Underground tours were given in the mine until shortly after the mine closed in 1987. Children and the elderly were not allowed. The visitors were taken underground by train and then had to walk and crawl for miles through galleries and pillars. After the closure, the mine shafts were filled in and the underground network of tunnels collapsed and flooded with groundwater, so that the mine is no longer accessible. The mine was closed on December 18, 1987 after years of protest.