Marcinelle

For the 2003 television film, see Inferno Below.

Former municipality of Belgium in Wallonia

Marcinelle

Mårcinele (Walloon)

Former municipality of Belgium

Town hall

Location in the municipality of Charleroi

Marcinelle

Location in Belgium

Coordinates: 50°24′N 4°26′E﻿ / ﻿50.400°N 4.433°E﻿ / 50.400; 4.433
Country|  Belgium
Region|  Wallonia
Community|  French Community
Province|  Hainaut
Municipality|  Charleroi
Area

• Total

| 5.08 sq mi (13.16 km2)
Population

(2001)

• Total

| 22,877
Time zone| UTC+1 (CET)
• Summer (DST)| UTC+2 (CEST)
Postal code|

6001

Area code| 071

Marcinelle (French pronunciation: [maʁsinɛl]; Walloon: Mårcinele) is a town of Wallonia and a district of the municipality of Charleroi, located in the province of Hainaut, Belgium.

Until 1977, it was a municipality of its own.

The town of Marcinelle is renowned as the home of comics publisher Dupuis and as the birthplace of the celebrated Marcinelle school of Franco-Belgian comics. Many notable creators in the genre have been based in Marcinelle, lending to its reputation as a hub of comic artists. Marcinelle is also the place where serial killer Marc Dutroux lived, before his arrest.

## History

[edit]

### Mining accident of Marcinelle

[edit]

Main article: Marcinelle mining disaster

On the morning of August 8, 1956, a fire in the mines of Marcinelle resulted in 262 casualties. At the time of the incident, 274 people were working in the colliery Bois du Cazier, also known as Puits Saint-Charles.[1] A mining wagon incorrectly positioned in the elevator cage struck an oil pipe and electrical cables when the elevator started moving. This caused a fire, which trapped the miners working in the galleries below. Of the 274 people working on that morning, only twelve survived. Most of the victims were immigrants. Among the victims, there were 136 Italians, 95 Belgians, eight Poles, six Greeks, five Germans, five Frenchmen, three Hungarians, one Englishman, one Dutchman, one Russian and one Ukrainian.[2]

Rescue operations continued until August 23 when the final verdict came from the mouth of a rescuer: "Tutti cadaveri!" (All corpses).[3] The incident prompted Italy to demand better working conditions for the Italian guest workers in Belgium. Belgium, however, decided to recruit foreign workers from other countries more actively.[4]

In the resulting prosecution, the trial court acquitted all of the accused on October 1, 1959. An appeal was lodged, and on January 30, 1961, the court gave the mine manager a six-month suspended jail sentence and a 2,000 Belgian franc fine (equivalent to €300 in 2006 after adjusting for inflation) and acquitted the other defendants.[5]

The catastrophe had left such a legacy behind that it was selected as the main motif for a 2006 commemorative coin: the ten-Euro 50th anniversary of the catastrophe "Bois du Cazier" at Marcinelle coin. The obverse shows a portrait of a miner, with the mine "Bois du Cazier" in the background.

On September 19, 1981 a souvenir sheet was issued commemorating the 25th anniversary of the disaster, showing a scene of the disaster and a stamp of the Pieta, by Ben Genaux.[6]

## Gallery

[edit]

* 12th century St. Martin's church.

* Meurée avenue – Résidence Albert by architect Marcel Leborgne (1938).

* Ruins of Bois du Cazier.

* Headframes of the 'Bois du Cazier'

## Notable inhabitants

[edit]

* Marc Dutroux, convicted child molester and serial killer (1956–)
* Paul Pastur, lawyer and politician (1866–1938)
* Gaston Salmon (1878–1917) – épée fencer, Olympic champion[7]

## References

[edit]

1. ^ "Site du Bois du Cazier | Buildings | EMPORIS". Archived from the original on July 31, 2012. Retrieved January 12, 2022.`{{cite web}}`: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
2. ^ Emporis News[usurped]
3. ^ "Le Bois du Cazier". October 3, 2009. Archived from the original on October 3, 2009.
4. ^ Multicultural Policies and Modes of Citizenship in Belgium: The Cases Of Antwerp, Liège and Brussels Multicultural Policies and Modes of Citizenship in European Cities (MPMC), September 1999
5. ^ How the justice system failed the Marcinelle dead Archived October 17, 2007, at the Wayback Machine, HESA Newsletter, October 2006
6. ^ Scott Standard Postage Stamp Catalogue, Vol. 1. 911 Vandemark Rd, Sidney, OH 45365: Scott Publishing Co. 2012. p. 927\. ISBN 978-0-89487-469-7.`{{cite book}}`: CS1 maint: location (link)
7. ^ "La médaille d'or d'un Carolo en vente à Hollywood!". Édition digitale de Mons. October 23, 2017.

## External links

[edit]

Media related to Marcinelle at Wikimedia Commons

* Marcinelle through the years (French)
* Le Bois du Cazier August 8, 1956 site
* (in Italian) Marcinelle, raccontato da Edoardo Pittalis

50°24′00″N 4°26′55″E﻿ / ﻿50.4°N 4.4486°E﻿ / 50.4; 4.4486

Authority control databases

International|

* VIAF
* WorldCat

National|

* United States
* France
* BnF data
* Israel