New Urban Relics
februari 13, 2026
Read more
In the mid-19th century, an acceleration of territorial development became apparent for the young Belgium, which manifested itself in, among other things, the exploration and opening of quarries throughout Wallonia. Various soil surveys in this area led to the discovery of sandstone deposits millions of years old (these layers developed 359 to 385 million years ago).
The first excavations in this region date back to the mid-19th century. High-quality yellow and blue sandstone could be extracted here relatively easily. This was particularly popular for paving and landscaping. 'Return to Bedrock' is one of the five sites exploited in this valley.
By the end of the 19th century, sandstone extraction represented approximately 35% of employment in the region, a percentage that continued to rise until the beginning of the First World War, when sandstone quarries comprised 64% of the workers in the region.
The Second World War brought a temporary end to sandstone quarrying. The quarries remained abandoned until after the liberation. A company specializing in road construction and civil engineering works then took over the quarries. Under the impetus of this new entrepreneur, the company continued to develop over the following years, and the facilities and the area were equipped with a railway network.
The reputation of sandstone from this valley was well established by the mid-20th century, but in the 1960s, various unfavorable financial transactions led to serious difficulties. This ultimately led to the gradual cessation of operations. The company went bankrupt in the mid-1970s. After the bankruptcy, no buyer was ever found, and the various sites were never repurposed.
You can not copy the content of this page.