Restored iron-ore mine gallery at Differdange, Luxembourg, open to visitors as a public heritage site, currently closed for renovation.
The Mine du Grouwen, also known as Grube Grouwen, is a former iron-ore mine situated in Differdange in the south of Luxembourg. The mine forms part of the extensive minette iron-ore field of the western Luxembourg basin, which also supplied the blast furnaces at Differdange. The Grouwen mine was in operation until 1957 and was served by a narrow-gauge mine railway that connected it to the Rollesberg–Thillenberg ore transport line, along which iron ore from the HADIR steelworks group was hauled to the ARBED loading point at Differdange.
After closure the mine entrance was restored by the CIGL Differdange, which installed a sound and lighting presentation in the gallery covering the principal stages of the mine's history, accessible free of charge to visitors. The site is listed as part of the Minett Trail industrial heritage route. As of the time of research the mine was closed for renovation works.
The minette iron-ore deposits of the western Luxembourg basin were exploited extensively from the late nineteenth century to serve the blast furnaces at Differdange and surrounding industrial centres. The Grouwen mine at Differdange formed part of this wider network of galleries and concessions. Photographic records held in the Emile Kreins collection show the Grouwen mine entrance alongside the narrow-gauge mine railway line that connected the Rollesberg and Thillenberg workings; the ore extracted at or transported through the Grouwen site was hauled to the ARBED loading point at Differdange for onward processing.
A benzol-engined mine locomotive of the Montania type, numbered 1553, is documented in use at the Grouwen mine at Differdange in 1935, indicating active operation during that period. The mine was operated in connection with the HADIR steelworks group, one of the principal industrial concerns in the Differdange area. The Grouwen mine ceased operations in 1957.
Following closure, the site and its gallery entrance were preserved. The CIGL Differdange subsequently restored the entrance building and fitted the gallery with an audio-visual installation in three languages narrating the principal stages of the mine's history; visitors can also inspect historical photographs and tools displayed within the gallery. Access is free and available at any time by pressing a control panel.
The site is listed as a stage on the Minett Trail industrial heritage circuit. Historical photographs from the 1920s and earlier show mine entrances in the Differdange area associated with the Siemens Halske electric locomotive used at the Moulaine mine — preserved as the sole complete example of this type — and with the broader ARBED and HADIR rail network serving the Differdange steelworks. The last mine in Luxembourg, the Thillenberg mine also in Differdange, closed on 27 November 1981, marking the end of iron-ore extraction in the country.