The Dutch Mining Museum was festively opened on Sunday. Piet Kouwenhoven (96), who worked in the Limburg mines between 1945 and 1969, was at the opening.
“When I walk around like this, many memories come up,” says the former miner. “I come from Rotterdam and just after the war there was a lot of money to be made in Limburg. I came this way with my wife and my brother.”
collapses
Kouwenhoven did not know fear. “I was never afraid in the mines. I have experienced collapses and had to pull other men out from under the coals. But during the war I experienced so much in Rotterdam that I no longer knew fear.”
Multiple jobs
He mainly worked in the private mines Laura and Julia in Eygelshoven. “I’ve had several jobs underground. For example, at night when the work was idle I would check pumps and repair tools. Later I was responsible for building new corridors. So then I worked with dynamite.”
New home
The museum finds a new home in the former Kneepkens department store in the city center of Heerlen. From 2005, the mining museum was housed in the shaft building of the former Oranje-Nassau mine.
Four floors
The Dutch Mining Museum is divided over four four-storeys. “A part of the story is told on every floor,” says director Bram de Groot. “We try to tell the complete story of the mining period in Limburg, including the less beautiful sides and the worse times, such as the end of the mining industry.”
Also read: Collection of 250 mining lamps on display in Heerlen: ‘Special’
Thousand square meters
The new location of the mining museum is a lot bigger than the previous one. “We have about a thousand square meters of exhibition space here. That is about three times as much than before,” says De Groot. In addition, according to the director, the new location is a major step forward. “We are located in the city center of Heerlen, which is very pleasant. And this building is also much more accessible for the disabled.”
Also read: Renovation of former Kneepkens Heerlen department store completed