The Grand Hornu site: cultural heritage, exhibitions, design and innovation

Take a former coal mine, get it listed by UNESCO as World Heritage and you get the CID of the Grand Hornu: an innovation and design centre, featuring temporary exhibitions on design, applied art and contemporary art.

The site is ideally located: 15 km from Mons and within easy reach of France (35 km from Valenciennes).

From the industrial revolution to innovation

The Grand-Hornu, built in a neoclassical style, included workshops, administrative offices and lodgings for administrators. Now a property of the province of Hainaut, the site makes the link between the memory of times past and 21st century by sheltering the CID (Innovation and Design Centre) and the MAC (Museum of contemporary art, opened in 2002).

The CID present 3 to 5 exhibitions a year: monographic or themed, putting forward Belgian and international artists. The site also organises tours and visits adapted to a wide range of audiences: schools, seniors, families and more.

Visitors with specific needs

The Grand Hornu is one of the many sites certified by Access-i (meaning with facilities or/activities adapted to travellers with specific needs). You will find more details on the website to plan your visit.