Borinage

The Borinage is an industrial landscape around the town of Mons in the Belgian province of Hainaut.

It was since the 18th century one of the most important coal areas in Europe. The name of the region derives from borin or Borain, a French word for buddy from. The suffix -age refers here to a one collectivity, but also has a pejorative connotation entirely.

In the 19th century, the area grew to become the most important industrial center next to Charleroi in Wallonia. End of the 1820s the Borinage nearly 1.3 million tons of coal, more than Germany and France produced together. The harsh living conditions of the miners influenced Vincent van Gogh ( 1879 ), decided after his short time as curate in the Borinage to become a painter.

From 1959

On 9 February 1959, the National Kohlenrat recommended ( in government, business, trade unions and consumers) the closure of ten mines of the district Borinage; this should go on for two years. It was planned at this time, the workforce ( together 6,500 men ) to transfer to other mines or suitable jobs. Rapidly formed in the Borinage an "action commune " ( Joint Action ), which called all the miners to the wildcat strike. Two days later the strike gripped the neighboring area ' La Louviere '; The end of February rested almost the entire Belgian mining.

Back then you could compete ( Kempen area ) with the German and French mining areas, only one of the five Belgian coalfields; the other four had poor mining conditions and promoted mainly the low demand lean coal.

Back then there was the 1951 by six countries ( including Belgium ), founded European Coal and Steel Community ( " Coal and Steel Community " ), one of the later EU germ cell. In 1959, 58 active coal mines were operated by 52 different companies. Plants for coal processing - such as briquette or coke ovens - were almost completely; they have increased the competitiveness of the slow-selling Belgian coal.

Since the last mines closed in the 1960s, has the region (as 20xx ) from the highest unemployment rate in Belgium.

The Borinage became known for an eponymous report by Egon Erwin Kisch.