La Base 11/19

The 11/19 pit, slagheaps 74, 74a and 74b, Cité des Provinces and Cité 11 are among the 353 elements that make up the Bassin Minier World Heritage Site, contributing to its universal and exceptional character. Pit 11 is the 11th pit created by the Société des Mines de Lens to mine coal. Shaft 11 was sunk in 1891 and the pit was commissioned in 1894, with some 1,500 miners in operation. In 1903, of the 12 pits operated by Société des Mines de Lens, pit 11 was the one with the highest annual production (358,450 tonnes of coal). The architecture of the site's buildings is similar to that of other sites opened by the company between the end of the 19th century and the eve of the First World War. After the First World War, Société des Mines de Lens had to rebuild its ravaged pits in order to relaunch production. A challenge with technical and economic constraints, plus a shortage of materials. In the interests of speed and economy, standard models were used to construct the various buildings. The law of March 17, 1946 confirms the nationalization of all coal mines in France. The facilities of the former Société des Mines de Lens now belonged to the Lens group, which merged with the Liévin group in 1952. Charbonnages de France draws up a program to concentrate and modernize its coal mines. The principle is to group together the operations of several sites in shafts equipped with the most powerful equipment. From 109 extraction sites in 1945, only 60 remained in 1959. The creation of shaft 19, darkened in 1954, was part of this evolution. The concentrator went into operation in 1960. The coal recession began at the same time. From then on, the tower was capable of extracting 6,000 tonnes a day, with the work of 5,000 underground miners. Pit 11/19 ceased operations on January 31, 1986. A campaign was launched to save the site from demolition. Acquired in 1990 by the town of Loos-en-Gohelle, it was quickly taken over by structures developing economic, environmental, social or cultural activities: CPIE Chaine des Terrils (Centre Permanent d'Initiatives pour l'Environnement), Culture Commune... It was listed as a historic monument in 1992, then classified in 2009. The conurbation acquired the site in 2000 and launched a vast development plan that respects the existing heritage. Today, the site is considered a benchmark in terms of conversion and development. Nearby are the twin slag heaps of Loos-en-Gohelle, the highest in Europe. They are the result of mining from 1960 to 1970.