Loos-en-Gohelle is a town in Pas-de-Calais, in the Hauts-de-France region, north-west of Lens, which it borders on.
Largely urbanized now, the vast territory of 12 km² was occupied from the first millennium, but until the middle of the 19th century, Loos-en-Gohelle is a simple village whose inhabitants live from agriculture. And even today, cultivated plains surround the locality.
The history of the town changed at the beginning of the second half of the 19th century when the Compagnie des mines de Béthune then that of Lens opened and operated pits to extract coal. This industrial activity boosts the demography of Loos-en-Gohelle and changes its face (creation of workers' cities).
The city had up to 8,000 inhabitants in 1962, when the decline of the coal industry began.
Today, the town, which still has some 6,700 inhabitants, has begun to change (tertiary activities) and showcase its mining past (around the two highest coal slag heaps in Europe). In the immediate vicinity of Lens and its "Louvre", the cultural and sporting leisure offer of Loos-en-Gohelle is worth a detour.
Strongly impacted during the First War, the locality is however rich in heritage linked to its mining past.
Thus, the former site of pit 11-19 of the Compagnie des mines de Lens is fully classified as a Historic Monument. This includes machinery related to mining and buildings. The place is now highlighted and hosts economic and cultural activities gathered within an "ecopolis".
The old building of the Salle des Pas Perdus and the baths-showers of pit n ° 12 is also listed.
The Ernest Cuvelette mine, the former Hay brewery are also worth mentioning. In addition, in a different register, testimonies of the heroic combat which took place during the First war, the St Patrick's Cemletery and the Dud Corner Memorial can be visited.
In terms of religious heritage, a first church dedicated to Saint-Vaast was erected in the 11th century and underwent several changes before being completely destroyed during the 14-18 war. Rebuilt in 1925, the church has recently seen its roof be restored in a very innovative way. The roof covered with slates which deserved to be renovated is now covered with photovoltaic panels over 200 m²!
More discreet, also worth seeing, the small Notre-Dame-de-Grâce chapel near the 11-19 mining site.
On the cultural side, the Alexandre Villedieu museum, founded in 1994, aims to evoke the battles of Loos-en-Gohelle of 1915 and 1917 and presents through objects and documents daily life in the trenches. One of these objects is a Waterman brand pen that belonged to the French soldier Alexandre Villedieu and which was found by a farmer at the foot of a slag heap. The visit to the museum can be followed by a guided discovery of one of the battlefields. Price: 3 and 5 euros. Information on +33 3 21 70 59 75 or +33 3 21 28 99 82.
On the site of the old 11-19 pit and its "ecopole", "Common Culture" is intended as a performance hall with artists' residences and creations. The structure has the status of "national stage". Programming information on +33 3 21 142 555.
Finally, note the activities and exhibitions offered regularly by the municipal media library in the city center. Information on +33 3 21 43 23 51.
To understand the industrial and historical heritage, but also to better understand the transformation of the former agricultural village that became a mining town and then a town in reconversion, seven interpretive circuits have been designed. They are to be browsed after downloading information on a smartphone or tablet and are lined with interactive terminals.
In addition to factual explanations, they allow you to visit the territory while listening, for example, to an interview with a former miner or by taking advantage of reconstructions of the sites in 3D. The circuits are thematic (landscapes, war, mining history, conversion and sustainable development…) and 1.1 to 4 km long. Information on +33 3 21 69 88 77 or +33 3 21 28 17 28.
Conventional walking routes also allow you to explore the locality and in particular its "green" areas. For larger hikes, maps and information on +33 3 21 67 66 66.
In addition to the public garden and the playgrounds located in the city, it should be noted for athletes that tennis courts are accessible: reservation at the local club on +33 3 21 42 14 19.
