Today’s tour would take me to the historic mine industry of Heusden-Zolder. The Heusden-Zolder mine was the last to close in the Benelux. The ZLDR Luchtfabriek (air plant) and the market square are the site’s main centres these days.

The airplant supplied the miners with air, allowing them to breathe underground. That’s what the air factory was for: getting enough oxygen into all of the tubes. You will discover how the coal was brought up, among other things, via an interactive walking path past the outstanding original installations.

A photographic art collection exposition by Belgian photographer Stephan Vanfleteren was also on display today.
The black and white image collection would show the ancient miners in their old working clothes. It would be a 30th anniversary event.

A visit I was looking forward to, here are some photos:

The gallery was installed in the authentic setting of the Air Factory’s industrial park. With almost no light inside and the sound hearing of the mine like it was three decades ago made me experience the moment.

The black and white photographs produced with high level of work made the entire excursion a must see for me.

At the end of the exhibition, there was a movie in the machinepark with miners expressing their anecdotes about their work conditions and, in particular, the great dangers of working 800 meters below earth.

In the mine, nearly every worker lost something. Some people lost parts of their bodies, while others lost their lives. It was not an easy situation, and it is certainly not doable now days.

Some camera images from the machine park.

You should definitely pay a visit if you have the opportunity. The visit to the Airplant Factory is already a tour in and of itself.

I just had my Leica M10 and a 35mm lens with me today. Don’t you think the quality that comes out of the camera is amazing?

It was upsetting to witness the conditions in which they had been working only 30 years before. Some people have lost parts of their bodies, while others have long-term disabilities or other issues. However, in 2023, we must recognize that all of the luxury goods in our possession or in our houses did not appear out of thin air. People, including children, continue to work in these severe conditions in certain areas of the world.

Even on bad days, I feel myself blessed for what we have. I think that there is always someone in the world that is in a 50 times worse situation and yet continues on!

Because… He has faith in the future!

Thank you