Diversity of life forms is important in an ecological system. Food supply and housing play a
crucial role in this. For the insects’ food supply, we choose flowering trees such as Tilia, Acer,
Sophora, etc. combined with flowering undergrowth.
Flowering meadows were created in the open spaces of the Director’s Park and the
‘Kolenspoor’ landscape park. These locations are not only feeding places for insects but for
birds and small mammals as well. In early spring, the food supply is further supplemented by
thousands of flower bulbs in the Director’s Park and Kioskplein.
Due to an adapted mowing management plan for the grasslands, the higher structure is the
ideal hiding place for various smaller species. In addition to shelter, insects are given
additional living accommodations in the form of ‘insect hotels’ and beekeepers can place hives
in the Director’s Park.
A ‘wadi’ was constructed along the Kolenspoor. This wet environment has a positive effect on
plant and animal species that depend on a humid environment.

Together with Beringen Centre, Beverlo, Koersel and Paal, Beringen Mine is one of the five
commercial centres of Beringen. Since the closure of the coal mine, the reconversion of the
area has created a vibrant economy. A lot of attention has been paid to a green framework
with positive effects on the general well-being.
The approach is via a public-private partnership between the ‘Limburgse’ Reconversie
Maatschappij and a private project developer. Under the name ‘be-MINE’, the area will be
redeveloped for tourism and recreation, combined with urban functions such as living,
working, and shopping.
The recreational possibilities are many, with indoor activities such as indoor climbing, a
swimming complex, or indoor diving among tropical fish. For outdoor sports and games, you
can visit the adventure mountain with its playground landscape, mountain bike trail, and
various hiking/walking trails. Cyclists will find what they’re looking for on the extensive cycling
route network that includes the Kolenspoor.
There is also a wide range of activities to offer at the Tourist Office; you can book overnight
stays and be pampered with culinary delights here.

Nature is an important element in mitigating climate change with trees as top players. Every
year, the town of Beringen plants several ‘climate trees’, about 300 of which have been
planted in Beringen Mine during the last five years. The ‘Beringen Mine Master Plan’ provides
for a further increase in the number of trees.
Despite the positive impact of trees on the climate, they can also become victims of changing
environmental factors. For example, they must be drought-resistant and have to fight harder
against increasing insect infestations. The choice of trees is tailored to this, whereby the
following species are used: Tilia, Liquidambar, Acer, Betula, Sophora, etc.
In addition to a natural interpretation, a blue network is primordial. Sufficient groundwater
buffering can prevent drought stress. Maximum rainwater infiltration was a major component
of the construction of the Kolenspoor car park. Water-permeable clinkers were used; water is
collected in perforated pipes and when the site is saturated, the excess water is discharged
into a constructed wadi.

The Koolmijnlaan and its busy traffic forms a barrier between the old and new mine site,
between the coaling harbour and the mining buildings. The ‘Kolenspoor landscape park’ with
its bridge over the Koolmijnlaan removes this bottleneck. When combined with bicycle-safe
crossings, this increases the general well-being for visitors and users.
Cycling from the Albert Canal (coaling harbour), you arrive at the mine sites with the small slag
heap, which has been transformed into an ‘adventure mountain’. Children can romp around,
parents can enjoy the beautiful landscape, you can cycle your stress away on the mountain
bike trail, etc. If you want to get a breath of fresh air, then a nature walk on the small or large
slag heap is a great idea.
The be-MINE reconversion project adds a number of other experiences such as swimming,
indoor diving, shopping in the retail park, a climbing tower, dining venues, the be-MINE pit,
and much more.
A stay in Beringen Mine has a lot to offer for the extroverted visitor as well as for the
introverted bon vivant.

The choice of plants is based on the suitability of the location. This isn’t always evident on the
sandy soil of Beringen, which means that soil enrichment is required. The choice of plants
strives for variety and diversity. Accessories when planting trees are chestnut poles, rubber
gutter edges, and plastic plates for root guidance.
Water-permeable materials are preferred for paving.
The car park on the Stationstraat was constructed with permeable concrete clinkers. A
footpath was constructed along the Kolenspoor cycle path using a naturally bonded, loose
pavement (‘greenROAD’).
The adventure mountain has a grid of wooden poles as a playing element. This symbolises the
timber park where the timber supply used to be located in front of the struts of the mine
galleries.
You will find several information panels located throughout the mine site, which are all in the
same corporate style. This corporate style is also extended to the remaining street furniture
so that a visual theme is created. The most commonly used materials are weathering steel
and wood, which suit the industrial look of the site.

The Beringen Mine site is the best preserved of all the Limburg mine sites as various buildings
and open spaces were listed. Reconversion is possible, but with due care for the listed
heritage. A unique example of reconversion is the transformation of the ‘thickening unit’ into
an indoor diving centre with tropical fish.
The Beringen Mine landscape is strongly dominated by two ‘terrils’ (residual coal slag heaps).
The coal mounds evolved into green gems in which the small slag heap was redesigned as a
playground landscape and the large slag heap encompasses an extensive natural value. You
have a beautiful view over the landscape from the top of both terril peaks. The large terril
offers you a 360° view of the surrounding landscape and – on a clear day – you can also see
the other mine sites, such as Heusden-Zolder and Zwartberg.
You can take a closer look at the landscape along the listed Kolenspoor, which leads you
through coniferous and deciduous forests interspersed with open landscapes and residential
areas. The Kolenspoor is like an open portal between the coaling harbour and the mine site.
You can discover several elements linked to coal mining along the route. For example, the
‘claveauweg’ lies in an enclosed lane of red maples with an open landscape in the form of a
flower meadow on the other side. You pass by the Beringen Mine cemetery and get a view of
the various mine buildings and places of worship.
The landscape varies greatly, from open to closed and back open. Coming from the canal, you
only catch a glimp of the Mine Cathedral, but when you get closer, you have a full view of this
beautiful building from the forecourt. The route then returns to an enclosed woodland area
that ends with an open view to the heart of Beringen Mine.
Where possible, we let the vegetation develop spontaneously, and other areas are pruned
and mowed to preserve the view of the cultural heritage.

The surroundings of Beringen Mine have changed drastically several times over the past 100
years. The original heath landscape became an industrial site around 1920. The reconversion
of the area began in 1989 after the mine was shut down. Initially, the two terrils were
remediated. The surface area of the small terril is 16 ha, while the total area of the large terril
nature reserve is 60 ha. An important aspect of the remediation was to increase the stability
of the subsurface and to make it accessible with a path structure. After remediation, the terrils
were reclaimed by nature. The other zones had to wait quite a long time before they were
reconverted.
In the meantime, several phases of the reconversion project have been carried out, creating
a new dynamic that is also noticeable in terms of mobility. In order to reduce the increasing
traffic pressure, safe bicycle/footpath connections such as the Coal Track route will be used.
The coal track is part of a larger network of coal tracks in the Province of Limburg. A strategic
project was launched at the initiative of the province and the mining communities in order to
give new meaning to the coal tracks. At master plan level, three strategic lines were set out
with the coal track as an innovative mobility network, a nature-economic network, and as a
meeting and experience space. The project was recognised as a strategic spatial lever project
by the Flemish Government. The layout of the coal track in Beringen marks the start of the
project on a micro-scale, which could one day become the west-east connection between
Beringen and Eisden.
In general, the reconversion attempts to improve the living environment for all organisms.
This manifests itself in a pleasant environment for people with opportunities for living,
mobility, and recreation. Examples of this are the retail park, the soft connection via the coal
track, reconversion of mine buildings, etc. Plants are given new opportunities and are
reclaiming the vacated areas, such as the terrils and the coal track. The creation of flower
meadows and wadis increases diversity with a positive effect on wildlife finding food and
shelter.

The innovative character of the project lies mainly in the search for an appropriate and
sustainable reconversion of the rich mining heritage. Heritage value, reconciliation between
old and new, modern trends and needs, new use of materials, etc. are taken into account.
Technical transformations of buildings are, f.e., the conversion of the ‘thickening unit’ into a
diving centre or of the electricity room into a climbing tower. Examples of transformation in
the public space include the redesign of the small slag heap as a playground landscape or the
conversion of the coal track into a bicycle connection axis.
In addition to the green aspect, the project site is innovative in the sense of integrating existing
green structures or offering nature opportunities again through ‘Re natur’ in an increasingly
urbanised environment. Adapted management is sometimes enough to create a nice
biodiversity story.
Changing climatic conditions force us to be more creative in our search for suitable droughtresistant
plant species. New species are introduced that are not allowed to be invasive. An
inventory with an integrated management plan was drawn up for the management of the
trees. Innovatively applied techniques include ‘plunging’, where extra air and nutrients are
introduced into the subsurface.
When applying paving materials, a lot of attention is paid to the rainwater infiltration capacity.
Part of the footpaths were laid in a loose paving material, bound with a natural mortar. The
car park on the Stationstraat was constructed with permeable concrete clinkers. The collected
water can infiltrate into the subsurface via perforated pipes. When the saturation point is
reached, there is an overflow to a wadi. All these measures ensure that rainwater remains on
site as much as possible.
In order to avoid a cacophony of different forms of information carriers and street furniture,
a corporate style was developed in which wood and weathering steel form the basis and fit
perfectly within the industrial site.