Genk (Brussels Morning Newspaper) – Flemish Minister Ben Weyts announced €3 million for restoring Genk’s 71-meter C-mine headframes, with Mayor Wim Dries and Alderman Karel Kriekemans backing urgent repairs starting in 2026.
As VRT News reported, Flemish Heritage Minister Ben Weyts (N-VA) visited the former C-mine site in Genk this afternoon, Nov 24, 2025. He was welcomed by Mayor Wim Dries (CD&V) and Alderman for Tourism Karel Kriekemans (CD&V). The group climbed the 71-meter headframe, one of the main landmarks of the old Winterslag mine. From the top, the minister viewed the C-mine campus.
What plans does the Flemish government have to restore Genk’s 71m C-mine headframes?
The minister announced that the Flemish government will invest €3 million in the €5 million renovation plan for the 2 historic headframes. The project includes repairs to the steel structure, protection against rust and long-term maintenance to keep the towers safe for visitors.
“This site is an important aspect of Flanders’ history,”
Weyts said, standing atop the old headframe.
“This was the first mine in Limburg to extract coal, which brought great prosperity to the region and to Flanders as a whole. We now face a choice: either we invest in this heritage site, or it will disappear.”
The renovation will be the first full restoration of the headframes, and officials say the work is urgently needed. Inspectors found serious rust damage on the steel structure, with some parts at risk of breaking off if nothing is done. The project is planned to start in the fall of 2026 and will last at least a year. The city of Genk is also studying extra improvements for the area.
“We must protect this building for the future,”
Mayor Wim Dries explains.
“When we fully restored the energy buildings in 2010, we knew we’d have to restore the shafts eventually as well. Today, the corrosion has progressed to such an extent that we absolutely have to intervene.”
Alderman Karel Kriekemans says the headframes will be covered in large scaffolding so crews can sandblast the structure from top to bottom. All old paint will be removed so the steel can be checked for safety and repaired where needed. After the inspection, workers will apply a new protective paint layer in the original colour of the towers.
“During the renovation, we’ll also ensure we can preserve the shafts much better, because that’s been a problem,”
Wets continues.
“This building has barely been maintained over the years. Perhaps people didn’t expect this work of art to remain for a hundred years. Well, we want this work of art to be preserved for hundreds more.”
“The mines are Genk, and Genk is the mines,”
Dries emphasises the site’s monumental significance.
“The mine is something that connects people, so we must treat it with respect. These headframes shape our skyline and are a symbol of the resilience and efforts of tens of thousands of miners to make Genk great.”
Genk’s C-mine area was once part of the Winterslag that closed upon the end of the state coal extraction in Limburg in 1988, the municipality then redeveloped the site, as it turned an old-industrial site into a cultural and creative space.
The 2 steel head frames from the early 20th century were listed as protected heritage in 1993, and have not been fully restored since the mine was taken out of service. Years of weather damage and degraded paint have left heavy rusting, with engineers warning in 2024 that some parts of the structure could become unfit for use.
