Arriving in the centre of Belval in Luxembourg, one can not help but look up at the huge blast furnaces which dominate the skyline. Ultra-modern high-rises and new-builds butted up against these giants are dwarfed. Looking at the building site at the base, we glance at each other.... "We NEED to go up there!" we agree.
We park up the car, check in at the Ibis, then head to some Buffalo place for a good helping of meat and a few beers while it got dark. Following a brief squabble about the size of the tip we head back outside and behold the monstrous marvels illuminated in the night sky and head straight for them!
The steel works has long closed, but the Belval Blast Furnaces have not only been retained, but have been fully restored, coated with pretty paint and made into a visitor attraction. The new buildings at the base, presumably a visitor centre, were nearing completion and the towers will soon be open to the public.
Being explorers, we weren't prepared to wait for the towers to open, or to pay for a guided tour during the day! We venture into the building site to check out the bottom of the furnace towers and discover the only way up is through the new buildings. Luckily we soon find our way to the roof where the 80 metre twisting and winding staircase begins. Being careful to stay out of the lights that illuminate the structure we make our way to the top.
This unplanned adventure with with Proj3ct M4yh3m turned out to be a highlight of the trip. I'd opted to take my 24-105mm lens, whereas Mr Mayhem went for the 16-35mm wide angle. I kind of regretted not taking my wide angle, but should make for an interesting variation in shots. The lights in the old industrial structure provided some fantastic opportunities for shots and the view over the other blast furnace was amazing.
The Blast Furnaces - Image stolen from Google.
We park up the car, check in at the Ibis, then head to some Buffalo place for a good helping of meat and a few beers while it got dark. Following a brief squabble about the size of the tip we head back outside and behold the monstrous marvels illuminated in the night sky and head straight for them!
The steel works has long closed, but the Belval Blast Furnaces have not only been retained, but have been fully restored, coated with pretty paint and made into a visitor attraction. The new buildings at the base, presumably a visitor centre, were nearing completion and the towers will soon be open to the public.
Mid-restoration as seen on Google Streetview:
Being explorers, we weren't prepared to wait for the towers to open, or to pay for a guided tour during the day! We venture into the building site to check out the bottom of the furnace towers and discover the only way up is through the new buildings. Luckily we soon find our way to the roof where the 80 metre twisting and winding staircase begins. Being careful to stay out of the lights that illuminate the structure we make our way to the top.
This unplanned adventure with with Proj3ct M4yh3m turned out to be a highlight of the trip. I'd opted to take my 24-105mm lens, whereas Mr Mayhem went for the 16-35mm wide angle. I kind of regretted not taking my wide angle, but should make for an interesting variation in shots. The lights in the old industrial structure provided some fantastic opportunities for shots and the view over the other blast furnace was amazing.
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