LE HAUT-FOURNEAU U4 ET LE JARDIN DES TRACES

We have been crusing down La Moselle towards Luxembourg and had to stop at Le Haut-Fourneau U4, a preserved blast furnace. Fascinating. The Moselle used to be famous for iron and steel production and steel working, machining etc. This has almost all gone. However, it was decided to preserve one blast furnace at Uckange, furnace number U4.

Margaret studying the production process.

Uckange was ideally placed with iron ore close by. Coal could be brought in by barge with other necessary materials by barge or railway. The site is huge and that's what's left now. The iron produced would leave by barge or railway to other steel processors along the Moselle.

Now that's what I call a dust separator.

Along with the walk around and through the blast furnace there was a museum that attempts to explain the conversion process from the various ores to iron with lots of diagrams and photographs of the furnace in full production. We were amused by this particular exhibit. They were displaying samples of all the raw ingredients and ores that went into the furnace. One bell jar seemed particularly empty, it is however a very necessary ingredient.

Hot air anyone?

A large area of the site has been turned into Le Jardin des Traces. A large themed garden constructed on the industrially polluted storage and mashelling yards. The themes are based loosely around the blast furnace process and elements. Very pretty but I did not feel it added to the industrial monument of former times.