La Cité des Électriciens

The Cité des Électriciens is one of the monuments in the Nord-Pas de Calais Mining Region World Heritage site. It was built from 1856 to 1861 as a mining company settlement alongside the town of Bruay between 1856 and 1861. It is the oldest surviving planned mining community in the region. The nine rows were all named after inventors in the field of electricity, including Ampère, Volta, Franklin and Faraday. The houses were of a good standard, with gardens and arranged in a grid. Mining ended in 1979. Many people left and by 2008 most of the houses were abandoned but arts initiatives saved them. The site now has a sustainable future in mixed uses as social housing, holiday lets, arts venues and gardens. A visitor centre in Rue Branly has two parts – a group of recreated miners’ homes and an award-winning new building with interactive exhibitions about the history and future of the mining basin.