Mining began around 1900 when the Belgian government decided to promote coal mining in the most easterly province of the country. The reason for this was the heavy demand for high-quality coal from steel producers at home and abroad. Mining began in Limburg in 1901 and, in the course of time, expanded to comprise seven collieries. But as early as the end of the 1950s the industry came up against heavy competition from less expensive sources of energy like oil and gas. The last active colliery in the Limburg region closed down in 1992.
