The Twin Slag Heaps 11/19 offer a distinctive starting point for a trip to Loos-en-Gohelle: preserved mining heritage, a new cultural use and a richly biodiverse landscape come together here. There are also memorial sites that bring different chapters of history to light. You can get to know the area through its slag heaps, digital trails and places of remembrance.
Mining Heritage and Landscape on the Slag Heaps
Base 11/19 and the Twin Slag Heaps 11/19 form one of the four major preserved mining sites in the Hauts-de-France cultural heritage collection. Base 11/19 has been repurposed with a focus on sustainable development and culture. The landscape of the slag heaps also tells the story of this transformation: they are considered natural areas with particularly diverse flora and fauna. In 2010, 159 animal species and 190 plant species were recorded there.
The Twin Slag Heaps rise to a height of 186 metres and offer a 360-degree panorama over the region. The paths on Slag Heaps 11/19 offer free or guided climbs to the summit of Slag Heap 74. Along the way, woodland gives way to black shale spoil, where a distinctive heat-loving flora and fauna has developed. Mining history and nature are not separate themes here: the route passes through a changing landscape of woodland and dark shale, while the slag heaps are also part of the preserved cultural heritage.
Seven Digital Interpretation Trails
Seven interpretation trails can be accessed on smartphones and tablets and use geolocation. The digital materials include nearly 70 interviews, 60 videos, 3D reconstructions, educational animations and virtual panoramic panels. These trails offer a different way to explore Loos-en-Gohelle than admiring the panorama or visiting a museum: they combine wayfinding in the landscape with a wide range of multimedia content.
Visitors interested in on-site interpretation can compare this digital format with guided visits to selected memorial sites. Those who want to focus on the landscape can climb the slag heaps and experience the transition from woodland to shale spoil. The main difference between the offerings is how they explore mining history, remembrance and nature.
Museums and Places of Remembrance
The Musée Alexandre Villedieu exhibits only objects from the battlefields of Loos-en-Gohelle. The association Sur les Traces de la grande Guerre welcomes visitors to tour the museum. In the surrounding area, guides from the Musée Alexandre Villedieu also offer tours of the memorial, Slag Heap 11/19 and the British military cemetery at Dud Corner; booking is recommended.
The Loos Memorial surrounds Dud Corner Cemetery and bears the names of 20,000 soldiers. A different form of remembrance can be found at the Canadian Memorial Park on CĂ´te 70. There, a winding path that gradually climbs, with 1,877 engraved maple leaves, leads to the Arthur Currie Amphitheatre. Each leaf represents a Canadian soldier who fell in an attack. Frederick Lee Avenue continues to the obelisk at the summit of the CĂ´te.
The memorial park was created in memory of the Canadian soldiers who lost their lives during the fighting in the summer of 1917. It opened to the public in August 2017. The path, amphitheatre and obelisk create a clear sequence through the memorial site; the Loos Memorial, in turn, commemorates the soldiers listed on the monument by name.
Plan Your Visits in Advance
The Fabrique Théâtrale offers free tours for all visitor groups by prior reservation. A tour lasts one hour. As available dates may change, check the schedule before making plans. Along with the recommendation to book tours with the museum guides, checking these visitor arrangements can help you fit the different offerings into your stay.
Discover more destinations: Isbergues, Tilloy-lès-Mofflaines, Audruicq, Verchocq, Meurchin, Boubers-Sur-Canche, Buire-Au-Bois, Outreau.
For the broader travel overview: Pas-De-Calais.
