Sallaumines: Mining Architecture and Culture

If you are looking for a hotel in Sallaumines, mining architecture, contemporary culture and a place of remembrance can offer different focuses for your stay. The housing estates reveal various features of mining communities, while the Maison de l’art et de la communication brings together artistic activities. A former religious building and a craft brewery add to the picture. When choosing your destination, you can consider which aspects matter most for your trip.

Mining architecture in the housing estates

The very large Cité d’Anchin was built in the 1920s. Its strictly orthogonal street network forms a clearly ordered grid, and the houses are grouped in pairs. Friezes, bands and patterns made of white bricks stand out on the upper façades. The estate can be viewed both through its street layout and the details of its façade design. The regular grouping of the houses and the brick ornaments are distinct, readily identifiable features of this mining community.

Cité Deblock is another mining community, built towards the end of the 1920s. It is associated with Shaft No. 4 of the Compagnie des mines de Courrières. Its design combines terracotta and white bricks in friezes and patterns. Compared with Cité d’Anchin, particular emphasis here falls on the named connection to a shaft and the contrast between materials. Together, the two descriptions show different aspects of mining architecture: the street layout and paired grouping of houses at Cité d’Anchin, and the brickwork design of Cité Deblock.

Former chapel and place of remembrance

The former Notre-Dame-des-Cités chapel is a finely crafted building dating from 1954–1955. It stands in a mining community at the end of a cul-de-sac. The small rectangular building is made of white-painted concrete blocks and is marked by a wooden cross on its façade. Its construction period, form and materials give the building its own architectural character alongside the large-scale mining communities.

Another point of interest is the Lens-Sallaumines German military cemetery. It is the resting place of 15,648 First World War dead, including 15,646 Germans and two former Soviet citizens. The total number and the explicitly identified groups give a concrete sense of the scale of this place of remembrance. Thus, alongside industrial and architectural history, remembrance of the First World War dead is another distinct focus to consider.

Art, culture and food and drink

The institutional description, last updated in 2022, describes the Maison de l’art et de la communication de Sallaumines as a multidisciplinary building. The facilities listed there include an auditorium with 350 seats, a library, a dance school and a music school. The description also mentions workshops for artistic expression, a 180 m² contemporary art gallery and a flexible 40 m² exhibition space. The different spaces and facilities bring events, artistic work and exhibitions together under one roof. The Maison runs activities that introduce audiences to contemporary art and artists and enable encounters and exchanges about artistic creation. Check the current facilities and programme before visiting.

The craft brewery Brasserie des Terres Noires is located in Sallaumines, in the heart of the mining basin. Its beer selection includes spiced beers as well as sour, IPA and porter beers; the selection may change with production. On Friday evenings, the brewery hosts tasting evenings featuring burgers and croque dishes. Booking is required. Before travelling, check whether the date you want is available and book accordingly.

Discover more destinations: Tigny-Noyelle, Matringhem, Halinghen, Longvilliers, Leulinghen-Bernes, Audembert, Thièvres, Hersin-Coupigny.

View the regional travel overview: Pas-De-Calais.