Log In
This locality will be deleted. Please transfer any text or photos you wish to save.Museum Vieille Montagne, Kelmis, Liège, Wallonia, Belgiumi
| Regional Level Types | |
|---|---|
| This locality will be deleted. Please transfer any text or photos you wish to save.Museum Vieille Montagne | Mine Zone |
| Kelmis | Municipality |
| Liège | Province |
| Wallonia | Region |
| Belgium | Country |
This page is currently not sponsored. Click here to sponsor this page.
Latitude & Longitude (WGS84):
50° 42' 41'' North , 6° 0' 31'' East
Latitude & Longitude (decimal):
Type:
Köppen climate type:
Nearest Settlements:
| Place | Population | Distance |
|---|---|---|
| La Calamine | 10,232 (2011) | 0.7km |
| Lontzen | 4,862 (2011) | 3.4km |
| Plombières | 9,596 (2011) | 4.5km |
| Wolfhaag | 125 (2017) | 5.2km |
| Raren | 175 (2017) | 6.3km |
Nearest Clubs:
Local clubs are the best way to get access to collecting localities
Local clubs are the best way to get access to collecting localities
| Club | Location | Distance |
|---|---|---|
| Vieille Montagne Heritage | Kelmis / La Calamine, Belgium | 0km |
Other/historical names associated with this locality:
Museum Vieille Montagne –
Opened on 14 September 2018.
Covers the history of Kelmis/La Calamine, the former Neutral-Moresnet territory, and the mining company Vieille Montagne.
On 14 September 2018, the new Kelmis museum was officially inaugurated. Replacing the former Göhltal Museum, it was given the historic name “Museum Vieille Montagne” The “MVM” is housed in the impressive 1910 building that once served as the headquarters of the “Vieille-Montagne zinc-lead concession of Moresnet”.
The adjacent former railway station building was also integrated into the project. Today, this smaller building contains the museum’s offices, while the larger main building has been fully converted into an exhibition space. On the first floor of the station is the railway museum of the Association Kelmis 1871.
Visitors are welcomed in the old station building, where they will find the reception area and the tourist information desk of Kelmis. Here they also receive an audio guide and an introduction to the exhibition.
The museum works with associations that also have their headquarters in the building: the Association “Im Göhltal”, the non-profit “Museum Vieille Montagne” (formerly the "Göhltal Museum" association”), “Kelmis 1871” and the “Vieille Montagne Heritage Association”.
The museum explores questions such as: What was Vieille Montagne?
The Altenberg mine (La Vieille Montagne) was the beating heart of Kelmis, which at that time formed part of Neutral Moresnet. How did zinc mining develop here? What did the territory’s neutral status mean? Neutral Moresnet existed from 1816 to 1919 as a neutral territory jointly administered by Prussia (later Germany) and the Netherlands (after 1830, Belgium). In 1919, the Treaty of Versailles formally granted it to Belgium.
And is it true that at one point half of Paris’s rooftops were covered with zinc from Kelmis?
The history of Vieille Montagne and the mining industry remains of great importance to the region. “Kelmis/La Calamine would never have grown the way it did without the Vieille Montagne,” Around 1800, the village had only about 300 inhabitants. When the mine expanded, that number grew to 5,000. The municipality owes much to the company, which at the time also established schools and churches. The territory’s neutrality likewise attracted other phenomena such as smuggling, gambling, and numerous drinking establishments.
The creation of the museum project took several years. The total investment amounted to 1.9 million euros, money well spent, according to Mayor Louis Goebbels. Many obstacles arose along the way, driving up costs. One of the major challenges was the renovation of the roof. “All the zinc work had to be replaced.” VMZinc provided valuable support for this part of the project.
Text Vieille Montagne Heritage.
List of minerals for each chemical element
Other Regions, Features and Areas containing this locality
This page contains all mineral locality references listed on mindat.org. This does not claim to be a complete list. If you know of more minerals from this site, please register so you can add to our database. This locality information is for reference purposes only. You should never attempt to
visit any sites listed in mindat.org without first ensuring that you have the permission of the land and/or mineral rights holders
for access and that you are aware of all safety precautions necessary.
Quick NavTopOther Regions
