From the station I headed into town and ticked of all locations in Lens. I generally agree with the review of NAN 2017, also why the Belgian mines are not in the same WHS, as with the belfries who are cross border.Ĭoming in from Arras by train I immediately ticked off this site when I stepped off the train in Lens the Gare de Lens is part of the inscription. Perhaps this is not in the WHS but it is very much in this area and we really can't move much in this WHS before seeing some WW1 memorial. Farmland is fixed but if you go up to Canadian memorial place Wimy outside of Lens, we can see fields that are left as they were 1918 and just natural erosion has tried to level out the ground in the battlezone. Now is 100 years since WW1 ended and there are not many traces left of the war except the many monuments and graves that are kind of everywhere. Next to museum site is a complex of houses intended for miners who are inscribed in the WHS area and it is easy to stroll around in that area when having reached Louvre-Lens.Īlso the monumental destroying of the area in WW1 gives a backdrop for the need for Germany to pay a lot for that destruction in later agreements. This monumental new museum is built on the site of an old coal-mine. We come in contact with this WHS when visiting Louvre-Lens. There are som many aspects of this area as we can find belfries and WW1 memories everywhere. About 250 och around 350 made ones are left. The slag heaps very visible when moving around in the Lens area gives a remaining memory. So in summary, not my favourite industrial site, but it could be a whole lot better with some further investment and interpretative materials. In addition we visited the Vimy Ridge Canadian Memorial, which is worth visiting in its own right of course, but also there are some impressive views of the mining landscape from here too. There are fabulous views from the top over the whole Lens area, giving a great impression of the impact mining has had on the area. We chose the family route as we had had some very wet weather previously, and were very glad we did, the final ascent and subsequent descent was treacherous, with the provided steps having been broken and useless. However when you get over to the mounds, there is a board showing the walking routes around and up the heaps. There is parking for this at Base 11/19 but no signs directing you to the heaps, in fact the paths from the parking over the footbridge to the base of the heaps is blocked in places. This part was more enjoyable.įinally we visited the two slag heaps (or Terrils) next to Base 11/19, just to the north of Lens. Also near the gallery are some public buildings, eg church and school, remaining from the time of the mine and there is an information board here explaining their use and the company's influence on the community. The new building for the gallery is built on top of an old pit, and the surroundings here do include a few boards explaining the landscape around the museum. There was no cohesion between the sites we looked at, and due to the lack of information boards, no way of interpreting what we saw in the context of the 'mining town'.Īfter this we walked over to the Louvre Lens, something the town seems (rightly) very proud of. The walk was not that interesting though and at no time did I get a feel for Lens being a 'company town' which is what I had been expecting. Initially we walked from the train station around the town itself looking at the various memorials, housing areas and company buildings included in the listing. I will admit to being disappointed though, which is a shame as I generally enjoy industrial sites. In the end we chose the area around Lens as it seemed to offer a variety of different types of site which are included in the listing, such as the company town, old pit heads and workings, slag heaps etc.
I agree with the view that this would have been a stronger listing had a smaller number of sites, with a clear link to the criteria, been chosen, as per the other serial listings such as wooden churches etc.
As others have already said, this listing covers a large area, so choosing how to visit is a bit of a challenge.