8. Genk - economic reconversion

The closure of Zwartberg in 1966, as the first mine in Limburg, heralded the end of the mining industry, although the last mine in Genk, Winterslag, did not close until 1988.

The prime of the mines after the Second World War - 1947 to 1951, which became known in history as the 'Coal Battle' - started to wane in the sixties. In comparison to the international competition, the Limburg mines were not as profitable dur to high wages and low returns. The import of cheaper coal from the United States was the deathblow.

 
Thanks to the infrastuctural facilities of the Genk mines, such as an extended railway network and the coal bunkering port, Genk grew to become the third largest industrial city in Flanders after Antwerp and Ghent.

Industrial giants like Ugine & ALZ-Arcelor and Ford have established companies on the canal in what is now know as the industrial area of Genk South. In the second industrialisation phase, there was the expansion of the industrial area of Genk North crossing the borders into the municipality of Opglabbeek.

Characeristic for the industrial growth of a city like Genk is the expansive growth of the population. In 1900 there were 2,537 people in Genk. On Janury 1 2007 there were 64,095.

In the beginning of the sixties, during the second industrialisation phase and the expansion of Genk South it was expected Genk would have a population of 100,000. Social housing societies anticipated this. During the golden sixties the idea was to expand a satelite city into Genk South. The social housing estates Kolderbos and Nieuw-Sledderlo were established. All this underlines the fact that Genk did not expand from the centre and it explains its unusual suburban character.

The municipality of Genk anticipated the expected growth in population by building a large town hall. With the crisis in the seventies, however, the belief in the expansive growth of Genk waned.

Even though after the closure of the mines, the former coal bunkering port on the Albert Canal declined, the activities in the port have grown steadily over the past years. Apart from being the industrial city of Limburg, it is also the province's second largest shopping town. Shopping 1, which opened in 1968, means that Genk has the oldest shopping centre in the country. Shopping 2, Shopping 3, the new City Square and 26 new shops determine the look of the centre of Genk and they underline its function as a trade centre. The construction of the Europalaan, also in 1968, made Genk easily accessible.

The former industrial streets of the three mining settlements too, like Vennestraat in Winterslag, Stalenstraat in Waterschei and Hoevenzavellaan in Zwartberg, have become important trade streets, where there are the characteristic intercultural eateries and food shops.

Typical for Genk is its characteristic suburban structure. There were three mining settlements that were responsible for the establishment of three garden suburbs and during the twentieth century several more suburbs were established including Sledderlo, Kolderbos, Vlakveld, Boxbergheide and Termien.