After thirteen visits to the infamous Hauts Fourneaux in Liège it should come as no surprise that those imposing steel giants hold a special place in my heart. Obviously I am always up for a visit to a blast furnace. Recently, I had the chance to visit some of their bigger and smaller siblings, each one more impressive than the last…
Overview
HF6
My first introduction to the steel industry was in 2016, during a visit to the now-defunct HF6. Apart from a few phone shots, unfortunately, no photos of it have survived. Nevertheless, it was here that the seed was planted for my fondness for large industrial sites.
Unfortunately, HF6 was dismantled before I had the chance to pay a second visit, but I was able to more than make up for that missed opportunity with HFB (Hauts Fourneaux B), located just a stones’ throw away. After more than a dozen visits, HFB was given its ow category on this website. Incidentally, in another blog post you will find some more explanation about the operation of such a blast furnace in a handy overview: HFB-Overview.
HF4
Anyone wishing to take a close look at Belgium’s industrial past will soon find themselves in Charleroi, more specifically at the enormous site surrounding blast furnace HF4. The site is so large that its various components are considered separate urbex locations. There, you will find, among others, Blue Power Plant , Wet Dogs Plant , Black Cokes , and Salle Compresseurs. In the Urban Exploring Portfolio they are all categorized under ‘Carsid’.
My first visit, or rather: my first attempt to visit this blast furnace, dates back to 2018. Unfortunately, that visit was cut short by an encounter with an overzealous guard. It took no less than six years before a second (and this time successful) attempt came… Many of the flanking buildings have been demolished in the meantime, but the blast furnace itself remains in all its glory. It is also thanks to the ever-alert security that the blast furnace has been preserved in exceptionally good condition.
HFX
This blast furnace company had long been on my radar. Every time we were in the area, we would stop by to see if and how we could get onto the site. Here, too, the ever-present security is always very alert. It took several attempts and getting up ridiculously early one time to enter the grounds after dark. When you finally succeed and see those three gigantic blast furnace silhouettes looming before you in the twilight, the urbex heart does skip a little beat of joy.
Here too—thanks to the vigilant security—there are virtually no traces of vandalism to be found. Natural decay, however, is all the more evident! The first of the three blast furnaces we attempted to climb was in such poor condition that we decided not to take any unnecessary risks. The second and middle one of the three was in much better condition. Besides the blast furnace itself, we also visited the former power plant on this site , which now houses a number of gigantic “blowers” (one for each blast furnace) that were supposed to blow the hot air into the furnaces. Definitely worth a look as well!
Mini Blast Furnace
The third and last in the row is also the smallest, but certainly not the least. The “mini” blast furnace is located in a remote corner of a vast site surrounding one of Luxembourg’s largest steel companies. The steel company itself is still active, but this blast furnace was shut down several years ago. Part of the adjacent buildings has already been demolished, but enough remained to warrant a visit…
