Loos-en-Gohelle: Mining Heritage, Memorial Sites and Nature

Loos-en-Gohelle offers travellers several distinct highlights: preserved mining heritage, the history of the battlefields, and nature on the slag heaps. When looking for a hotel, it can be helpful to first decide which of these themes you want to shape your trip. Attractions range from multimedia interpretation trails to specific memorial sites.

Mining Heritage and Nature on the Slag Heaps

The Base and the Twin Slag Heaps 11/19 form one of the four major preserved mining heritage sites in Hauts-de-France. Base 11/19 has been repurposed with a focus on sustainable development and culture. The twin slag heaps reach a height of 186 metres and offer a 360-degree panorama of the region. At the 11/19 slag heaps, the trails allow visitors to climb freely or on a guided tour to the summit of Slag Heap 74. Here, the woodland landscape gives way to black shale, where a distinctive thermophilic flora and fauna have developed.

The 11/19 slag heaps are considered natural areas with particularly rich flora and fauna. In 2010, 159 animal species and 190 plant species were recorded there. These figures offer a snapshot of the area’s diversity at that time; the transition from woodland to shale also shapes the landscape described here. Those interested in both nature and mining history will find both themes represented at the slag heaps, though they tell different stories: one concerns the repurposing of mining heritage, the other the distinctive flora and fauna.

Interpretation Trails and Visits

The interpretation trails in Loos-en-Gohelle comprise seven routes, which can be accessed on smartphones and tablets. They use geolocation. The multimedia offering includes nearly 70 interviews, 60 videos, 3D reconstructions, educational animations and virtual panoramic displays. The various formats highlight different aspects: interviews and videos convey content through voices and moving images, while 3D reconstructions and virtual panoramic displays offer visual supplements.

The Fabrique Théâtrale offers a different kind of visit: visitors of all groups can take a free one-hour tour by prior reservation. The available dates may change, so check the date before planning around it. This allows you to plan for the visit, taking its fixed duration and reservation requirement into account.

Museum and Memorial Sites

The Musée Alexandre Villedieu displays only objects from the battlefields of Loos-en-Gohelle. The “Sur les Traces de la grande Guerre” association welcomes visitors to tour the museum. Nearby, guides from the Musée Alexandre Villedieu offer tours of the Loos Memorial, Slag Heap 11/19 and the British Dud Corner Cemetery; booking is recommended. The museum and guided tours thus focus on the battlefields and the sites associated with them.

The Loos Memorial surrounds Dud Corner Cemetery and bears the names of 20,000 soldiers. At the memorial park on Côte 70, a curved, gently rising path with 1,877 engraved maple leaves leads to the Arthur Currie Amphitheatre. Each leaf represents a Canadian soldier who fell in the attack. Frederick Lee Avenue continues to the obelisk at the summit of the Côte. The Canadian memorial park was created to commemorate the Canadian soldiers who lost their lives during the fighting in the summer of 1917 and opened to the public in August 2017.

For your travel plans, there is a clear distinction: the slag heaps combine mining heritage and nature, while the memorial sites focus on remembrance of the battles and fallen soldiers. This can help you decide on a theme before looking for a hotel in Loos-en-Gohelle.

Discover more destinations: Marenla, Souastre, Ficheux, Merlimont, Bouvelinghem, Ligny-Lès-Aire, Ferques, Autingues.

View the broader travel guide: Pas-De-Calais.