Berny's photos with the keyword: U4

a symphony in rust ;-)

U4: the letter and number designates the last of the 4 Uckange factory blast-furnaces, saved only because it was listed in 2001 as a Historical Monument, the mighty symbol of the Fensch valley ironworks industry.

The Uckange ironworks were established in 1890 by the Stumms, a family of ironmasters which already owned a steel mill in Neunkirchen, Saarland. The purpose of the Uckange plant was to transform the local ore in pig iron, which was in turn transformed in steel at Neunkirchen. The first blast furnace (U1) was fired up in 1891, while three more (U2-U3-U4) were added in 1897-1898 and two others (U5-U6) in 1904. The Stumms era ended in 1919, when the site was taken over by Forges et Aciéries du Nord et de Lorraine (FANL) after a period of temporary receivership. Between 1928 and 1935 the site was largely renovated. U5 and U6 were shut down but the remaining ones were completely refurbished; with the addition of a new gas-fired power station the plant assumed the present configuration. More information and great detailed images at: www.st-al.com/archive/usine_uckange/scheda.html The PiP shows the old abandoned administration building.

glass ball on a fence post

photographing upwards was a bit difficult that day because of steady rainfall......