The site chosen for the Musée du Louvre-Lens is a twenty-hectare industrial wasteland that was converted in part into a business park in the 1980s and which was also the mine yard for mineshaft 9, mined by the company Mines de Lens.

Shafts 9 and 9 b

In the latter half of the 19^th century, the development of coal mining in the region led Lens to grow rapidly. The city grew in size and population as the mining companies expanded.

In 1884, the Société des Mines de Lens decided to open a new shaft, the ninth on the site, known as shaft 9 or the Saint-Théodore shaft. Work on ventilation shaft 9 b, called Saint-Anatole, was completed twenty years later. The Saint-Théodore shaft lies within the Lens city boundaries, while the ventilation shaft lies within the neighboring town of Liévin.

The infrastructure of the two shafts 9 and 9 b was typical. The yard at the Saint-Théodore pithead and headframe was equipped with generators, buildings for the miners, machines to process the coal, and a railway line for transport. The site was completely destroyed in 1918 and was rebuilt more than ten years later.

The pit closed in 1960, and the site became an industrial wasteland. It remains so to this day, despite the creation of a business park in the heart of the site. Most of the mine yard has been left to run wild, creating a huge green space in the heart of the city.

The Jeanne d'Arc and Saint-Théodore neighborhoods

As was customary, neighborhoods were built around the new mineshaft. To the west is the Jeanne d'Arc neighborhood, completed in 1894, followed in the years after 1900 by Saint-Théodore to the north. The layout of the latter is based on an architectural design that reflects a strict social hierarchy. Along rue La Rochefoucault, the church and the chief engineer's house frame the community facilities and housing for clerks. The workers lived in smaller houses with gardens which they rented cheaply from the mining company. These neighborhoods were completely destroyed during the First World War and were rebuilt after the war.

A powerful symbol

The choice of a former mine yard as the site of the future Musée du Louvre-Lens is a powerful symbol of the mining region's efforts to create a bright future for itself while not turning its back on its glorious industrial heritage.

For both former miners and younger generations alike, the site is highly symbolic of the region's rich history and gives a just sense of pride to all those who played a part in its splendid industrial heritage.