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Marcinelle


FieldValue
<!-- Basic info ---------------->nameMarcinelle
native_name
settlement_typeFormer municipality of Belgium
motto
image_skylineMarcinelle - Ancienne maison communale - 2023-04-05 - 01.jpg
image_captionTown hall
image_mapMap Marcinelle in Charleroi.svg
map_captionLocation in the municipality of Charleroi
pushpin_mapBelgium
pushpin_label_positionbottom
pushpin_map_captionLocation in Belgium
<!-- Location ------------------>subdivision_typeCountry
subdivision_nameBelgium
subdivision_type1Region
subdivision_name1Wallonia
subdivision_type2Community
subdivision_name2French Community
subdivision_type3Province
subdivision_name3Hainaut
subdivision_type4Municipality
subdivision_name4Charleroi
established_title
established_date
unit_prefImperial
area_total_km213.16
area_land_km2
area_metro_km2
population_as_of2001
population_total22877
population_density_km2
timezoneCET
utc_offset+1
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postal_code_typePostal code
postal_code6001
area_code071

Marcinelle (; ) 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

Mining accident of Marcinelle

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. 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.

Rescue operations continued until August 23 when the final verdict came from the mouth of a rescuer: "Tutti cadaveri!" (All corpses). 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.

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.

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.

Notable inhabitants

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

References

References

  1. "Site du Bois du Cazier | Buildings | EMPORIS".
  2. {{usurped
  3. (October 3, 2009). "Le Bois du Cazier".
  4. [http://www.unesco.org/most/p97belg.pdf 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. [http://hesa.etui-rehs.org/uk/newsletter/files/NWL30-EN-p44-45.pdf How the justice system failed the Marcinelle dead] {{webarchive. link. (October 17, 2007 , HESA Newsletter, October 2006)
  6. (2012). "Scott Standard Postage Stamp Catalogue, Vol. 1". Scott Publishing Co..
  7. (October 23, 2017). "La médaille d'or d'un Carolo en vente à Hollywood!".
Wikipedia Source

This article was imported from Wikipedia and is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Content has been adapted to SurfDoc format. Original contributors can be found on the article history page.

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