Hope everyone enjoyed this episode! This was a special one for us since this was a bucket list location of ours for so many years. Wouldn't be possible without all of you and we're so appreciative of that fact. Special thanks to Pierre M, an ex-employee of the steel mill who allowed us to use his footage of the blast furnace in action. You can see his blog about the steel industry in Liège here: haut-fourneau06.skyrock.com/ Also, who knows what "omelette du fromage" is from?
This was probably my favorite of all of y'all's videos so far. The sheer detail and quality put into every single one of these videos makes me anxiously wait for the next one
Unbelievable industrial abandonment. It doesn’t get much better than this. You guys filmed this excellently with the old footage - I think this is your best exploration documentary to date!
Abandoned but with an active natural gas fire in the melt pot? I wouldn't say abandoned but instead inactive. Keeping the pot hot and waiting for a new melt. If it was abandoned, there would be no natural gas being used at all.
I don’t live that far from this place. Nothing special, the French part of Belgium is full of abandoned factory’s like this one. Accelor Mital closed it down. It seems that buying iron in China is cheaper than doing it yourself. A lot of people lost their job and you notice it when visiting de city. The air quality by the other hand improved a lot in this area. Not far from there, there is still some small iron foundry activity going on.
I'm not an engineer (cause I'm only a teen) but I am writing a story about a character who's an electrical engineer and I know some stuff about engineering. When I saw all of that machinery I thought how much effort the engineers have put to create facilities like that - just like Abel van de Ven (my character) does!
Blast furnaces are just unreal. I'm an automotive design engineer so learning about heavy industry and steel making is more like a hobby to me. But I recommend visiting one (I went to the Henrichshütte Hattingen museum), it is breathtaking to realize the specs and some details of the design and the operation. Since the iron age, the blast furnace is really the cradle of all technology. It's maybe a lot more controlled now (I would like to visit Thyssen in Duisburg, they do tours) but you get the idea how much of a wild ride it was running one of the older ones. Even standing next to a deactivated one radiates pure violence. It's a continuous hellfire. One detail of the operation for example is, if there is a blockage inside the furnace (build up of non-combustible material) they would drill a hole into the steel shell into the furnace and insert an explosive charge to free the clot. Insane. People have died doing this. Anyway, I'd love to visit the sites in Belgium, too. I think a lot of people don't even have a remote idea of what's actually involved in many of their everyday products.
My dad is a professional engineer and worked at the USS Clairton works for years. He was always stressed out. I am in school for drafting and I couldn't imagine maintaining one of these bad boys.
Up until March 2023...i worked in a Basic Oxygen Furnace as an HSE supervisor. I had a.friend who worked in the blast furnace next door. It was the biggest steel Mill in Latin America...
which year did they make it and how did they design all of that stuff and make sure the system worked. I'm an industrial designer, just wondering how people made great things back then with poor computer performance
I always think about the workers that build that steel mill, they were the ones who had to work up in the air carrying a lot of building material with only scaffolds and shaky ladders and platforms to hang on to. Imagine the sweat or the cold days working that went into that place. They are the real heroes in my book. Good video
Um no scaffolds they shimmied down the I beams and took a single elevator to the top. They walked in the open with no safety equipment. That was how it was done in the olden days.
Google iron workers who worked on sky scrapers or any buildings in the 30's-60's you'll see nothing of the sort. Balls of steel and hella chill is what got the job done.
It's weird to see that there's still train cars with coal in them on the spur line. Makes it look like they were expecting to do more work the next day but just stopped, even though they obviously decommissioned it.
The train arrives with a load and a purchase order and the train yard manager accepts delivery. The fact that the materials will never be used is neither the concern of the train, the yard or even the mill owners.
I live at 10 minutes from this place, I have been seeing it for years, passing by, seeing it from the highway, knowing its existence, knowing people who worked there, even my dad worked there (for a short time) when he was young... Since I'm a child I hear and know about this place. And it has always been such a mysterious thing, and knowing it's dead but still up, rising and reigning all over the area is so intriguing. I had the chance to visit it 2 years ago... one of the most beaufitul things I have seen and experienced in my life. This place has so much history in this area, more than a century of life, being part of the industrial landscape of Seraing, of Liège, and we could say of Belgium. All the families linked to this place all over the decades : to HF6, to Chertal, well... to all Arcelor sites actually (and there are a lot ot them in Belgium or France). It is so settled in our landscape, cities, those big giant structures, impressive, even frightening at some point that we could not even think about working there, or just be inside of one of these giant structures. It had so much importance back in the days, this area is an industrial one, all along the Meuse river you can see industrial companies, old ones, new ones... It's being part of this land we live in. Well, being there was quite something, I got feelings I have found again thanks to you. The place is so big that a day wouldn't be enough to explore all of it. Thank you for the video, brings a lot of memories ! I was waiting for this one, thanks !
@@wanneske1969 Crazy how it feels so silent and strange being inside the place, with much activity around the site, the highway, the other companies... that gives such a unique feeling. Some people don't get it when I say this place is beautiful... but it is. There is so much beauty on these installations.
The respect and homage you pay to sites like this is commendable beyond words. The workers and even the government should give you an award for showcasing things like this; for posterity. You both do amazing work; these videos will likely be your strongest legacy.
The narrative was amazing Michael what a place to explore one of the best places you guys uploaded from your European road trip that blast furnace footage was killer thanks to you both including it and Pierre for letting you include in this awesome video
@Joe Casson i think they are NUTS for being on that structure ! I work as a millwright on a 32 tuyere furnace in Canada . A blast furnace is a VERY corrosive environment . They require constant repair both mechanically and structurally . I am tied off 90% of the time working on a running furnace , would never set foot on a decommissioned furnace without a 2 lanyard harness at all times .
Yeah except Netflix would tell them how to run their show and if they didn't listen they'd make a bunch of lies about the proper people and get them hated and destroyed. They are not good for humanity.
Bee's dominate many old lava tube entrances. I've seen multi-layered hives up to 10' in length. Nothing you want to mess with. Good to finally see explorers wearing respirators.
Just dropping an "F" for our brother Blast Furnace B. Anyway, what an incredible video. An incredible location. These jungles of steel are absolutely beautiful in their own unique way.
I still re-watch this video every +- 2 months, it's so good. The edits, the commentary and the sphere. It's just perfect. Amazing work guys. I also visited it myself after this video and it was a-ma-zing.
I come back to this video every so often just to hear the monolog at 17:50 - it always makes me smile. Moments like this are rare in life, and it's always amazing when someone allows you to share it with them in some way. Really happy that you guys got to achieve and experience this
I have been an urban explorer, caver and photographer for over 30 years because of the love of the old abandon history. With that I have enjoyed watching your videos vicariously, wishing I could be there. I thank you guys for preserving the history of these old beautiful places before they disappear for ever. Stay safe and keep it up.
Man, I'm obsessed with this channel. No clickbait titles, cool places I've never seen before, it makes me want to explore abandonded places like this myself.
This is probably one of, if not your best videos yet. Showing the furnace operational was a great addition to the video, and the music really helped set a good mood. No fake drama, no BS, just the beauty of an abandoned space and its history.
I've been watching your videos on and off from the beginning. My nine year old daughter was looking over my shoulder last week and wanted to see more so we have watched everything in chronological order. The quality and professionalism has steadily increased and this it one of your very best. Now my girl wants nothing more then to start her own channel and your comments and appreciation in this video are a lesson to aspiring TH-camrs. Thank you for all the great content, looking forward to many more.
Who designs these things….incredible and so beautiful!! You said it perfectly, like a sculpture! Thanks so much for sharing this adventure, my absolute favourite video thus far!
WOW This is defenetly the best video i have ever seen on youtube. I live in Liège and i know a lot of people who have worked there. It was the heart of the city at the time and it is very sad to see it like that today. I take the train everyday to go to school and use the tunnel you guys show in the video. I have always wanted to visit the factory but it is so heavely garded and the area is so polluted that i have never done it. Unfortunately it is slowly decaying and will eventually be scraped. Thanks you so much for this awesome video!
@vincent gerard. it s easy to access and if u go on sundays no one is there. we once went on a wednesday and a train driver saw us coming out. go on a sunday and you re safe 😁
With most things in life, like this structure, you never really see, or care, how it all comes together. But with people like the proper people, showing up close in detail all from the tiny to the enormous in each of these structures, it really makes you think: "How was man able to construct this" throughout the entire facility there is so much chaos in each contraption, you wonder how any of this made sense to anyone.
27 minutes without blinking. Fantastic footage guys, and as always excellent editing and music. Maybe the best video I ever watched on TH-cam, got a highly spiritual vibe from this. And I thought it was unlikely to top the nuclear power plant footage (and sound!) but you certainly pulled it off again. I take off my hat for thee!
This still remains my favorite video of yours. I love all the different shapes of the buildings and machinery. I love how it rises up out of the landscape, and sprawls out into every part of the surrounding city, like a massive tree with long roots. I loved the time of day you chose to film it. And I love how nature is reclaiming it so quickly. It's somber, and yet somehow hopeful all at once. I'm glad this video exists because some day this great machine may not.
Most mills have their own in house cars. Generally, raw materials are brought in via boat. The coal is about the only thing brought in via train. In a steel mill, you'll see anything from pugh ladles, slab cars, coil cars, ore cars, to spacer cars. None of them have any type of braking system and cannot legally leave the mill. So, not to burst your bubble, but it's not remotely rare.
Can I just say, thank you guys for wearing masks on the second day. Seeing you walk through all that dust the first day WITHOUT them was very concerning; don't want you guys to be too sick to share more of these incredible explorations, for which we are all so thankful!
5 ปีที่แล้ว +5
I’m so happy to be part of this at some point, hear you saying that you were living a dream, it’s a pleasure. Keep it up guys, there’s still a lot to see and film. Thank you for such a great video.
Amazing explore guys. I've been following you for a few years now and have to say that you are very much a cut above the rest when it comes to locations, camera work, editing, sound narration & historical input. Keep up the great work and looking forward to seeing more great explores from your trip!!
Beautiful video you guys. I even got a bit emotional when you went into your story at sunset. I also loved that you put video material from when it was still up and running in here. I hope you can do that more often when possible. Again, lovely cinematic shots - as always. I'm glad you guys got to visit this site before they're tearing it down. I can't wait to see what you guys have in store for us in 2019 and the future! Happy New Year!
Living within the rust belt area with so many abandoned steel factories and other mills. I’ve always wondered what the blast furnaces had looked like. Finally seeing one with my own eyes through this video was amazing. Well done you guys really deserve more subscribers.
Disappointing video. At no time did we find a chair, "just chllin". :) Awesome work guys. Soon this will be torn down, but you have a video showing what once was. Keep up the great work!
Chairs were banned in this facility after one of the workers fell asleep and slipped into the furnace, there was a 36 hour manhunt before the realization came that he was lost into the furnace Truly a sad day for all of us at BRTS Plant Works
The main reason these steel mills were shut down were two fold. One was cheaper steel from abroad, and the other, the shutdown of Nuclear Power stations that before had provided less costly electricity to power them.
@@bombtwenty3867 Yes, as laveturner jones said we do have some nuclear reactors. It has to be added though that occasionally that number is reduced for a while. Realistically they have reached the end of their life span, but because there is no plan on what to do when they are out of service their retirement date continuously gets pushed back.
Believe me or not, but the cargo ships shown in the video already passed RIGHT IN FRONT OF MY HOUSE. I life in nothern France, on the side of the "Deûle" channel.
Could have been any number of reasons. Old equipment and not enough money to update, unsafe conditions, relocation, bigger foundry was built elsewhere or bought this company, etc.
Your soundtrack is incredible. It adds so much to the ambience. Is there anywhere I can find the song used in the video that is also used during the end card?
my first abandoned building exploration was in first grade at my home property, it was an old grain farm house, ever since then i have been in love with the abandoned and forgotten i am currently struggling to successfully explore and photo document abandoned places what you said at the end of the video about how we need a physical reminder of our progress has been a dream of mine for a long time, im so glad i found this channel since i definitely see those lost stories in abandoned places.
An other awesome exploration at this blast furnace, great views and enhanced with some of the original operating footage. Thanks for sharing. Great choice of music too. Keep those video's coming.
Visited this site five times. Still feels like having only seen a fraction of the area. The amount of details is mind-blowing and I guess that I will never find another blast furnace which is so interesting. Found pictures of the worker's christmas party, looked through several folders which ended in finding an extremely detailed map of the facility and discovered even more buildings, interrupted metal thieves while they tried to pull copper beams out of an electricity turbine - it's an adventure most people would never be even willing to understand. Your video pays a more than adequate tribute to this place and I am happy you guys appreciate the place in a likewise manner. Keep up the good work! :) Greetings from Cologne, Germany!
I just want to tell you guys that you are by far the best on the internet exploring and want to thank you for doing your homework on the places you explore instead of just walking through these places and guessing what things are and how they work. I worked in a few of the steel mills in the United States and appreciate the history behind these and the generation of workers that built and maintained them. There are 4 generations in my family alone and its always a somber feeling when I see them passing by or on videos such as yours. These factory's produced great people, great neighborhoods and livelihoods for families for years. Again thank you!! From the first video you guys have done till the most recent ones, you have both come a long way in exploring and presentation. Keep up the good work. I just watched one of your videos that you explored a hospital right near me here in Daytona Beach. Actually its located in Ormond Beach, FL. Keep up the awesome work!!!!
This is one if not the best video I have ever seen on utube. U guys should win an award. Very well done doc. And the film work is beyond anything I could imagine or hope for. Thanks for being you and please be safe. God bless. From Idaho.
Absolutely amazing documentary of HFB, really wish i could like this a thousend times. Also at 18:39 i felt exectly the same when i was there a week ago.
I don't think I've ever seen anything like it. It's the sheer scale of the site and operation. It blows my mind, it really makes me think seeing all this. Fantastic documentary footage of this place before it's gone.
This town was the site of the first battle of World War 1 when the Germans invaded. I couldn't help but think that this plant probably produced steel to support the German war effort as Belgium was occupied for 4 years during WW2. There seems to be so much history involved other than the plant itself, which I enjoyed your tour of. Good job.
This was an amazing video. From the small videos you inserted to show the different process occurring with the equipment you were touring, the incredible drone shots and that scary climb to the top of the furnace. One of the best Proper People videos you’ve ever produced! You guys rock. Thanks for doing what you keep doing!
Watching you do these expeditions makes me hope you've both had training in emergency trauma techniques. If ANY of those steps gave way you'd instantly be in a life or death situation. It's obvious that since you've posted this video, you've returned safely :) You've shown good judgement when things looked "sketchy" before, I just felt the need to voice a bit of concern. Long live the Proper People and stay safe :)
So happy they included footage of it in working condition and gave credit to the videographer. Love the quality of the videos, best explorers for sure 🙌.
Brings back memories for me. I worked in the Bethlehem Steel Plant in Bethlehem, PA for 31 years. I was in the rolling mills but did take a tour of the blast furnace when we were operational. Barry
Barry Kery The Bethlehem Steel site is unique in that a lot of it including the furnaces have been preserved. That's not at all common with former steelworks unfortunately.
No way ! I live near this place and I know someone who worked there. He could've explained everything about this factory to you. Love your videos by the way ! ;-)
Congrats, guys. You're lucky as hell to have each other for friendship and professional support, never put anything above that bond, many people never have such an opportunity.
I was actually on the crew who demolished it, I saved a few nice pieces from it, if you'd like me to mail you one please let me know. Such a sad time to see such a cool place be demolished, all of us took a moment of silence after it came down
@@olivercasagrande9673 It never was. Went there a few month back. Everything is just like in this video. You should definitely go. You can just walk right in, theres no security at all
@@MatthijsG. Dat is raar. Ik was er 18 september nog. Was toen echt letterlijk hetzelfde in de video. Jammer dat ze steeds meer gebouwen aan het slopen zijn in belgie
"The entrance is monitored by video surveillance" 😂 Guys, this is Belgium, 🇧🇪 there's not even a government here and even if there is video surveillance, nobody will be watching. 😁
My grandpa worked for a steelworks. Always enjoy videos on what it might have looked like inside. Very surreal video. You both have at least documented part of the plant for future generations, as all of your videos do, and that is appreciated. Keep up the great work!
You guys should try the game called "Infra" it's on steam, it's basically an Urbex game with some puzzles and stuff, it's pretty fun. I think you guys would like it
I've visited this place 2 times. First time we concentrated on the blast furnace. Explored the conveyer belts, the tracks at the main entrance, close to where the surveillance cameras are, and went all the way to the top of the furnace, climbed those same stairs up and down. We had a sunny day like you guys, and the colours along with the contrast and detail was just mind blowing. Second time we explored the rest of the site. Surrounding areas and buildings. It was cloudy and kinda dark. A whole different atmosphere and feeling. Kind of uncomfortable and eerie. I still think I haven't seen all of it. It's too much to take and comprehend. A lot of crazy angles and triggers all over the place. Thanks for the video, it's very well made. And thanks for the added info as well! Btw they are dismantling the factory now. Not to much time left to visit this beast of a lost place. I give it a couple more years at most. It's hard to top this one.
Just going through your back catalogue of explores and this one blew me away. Late to the party I know but wow, awesome, the editing the music the old footage of the working blast furnace you guys really know how to nail it. Love your work, all I can say is keep it coming, I love your appreciation of these places whether it be an old factory, power plant or public building, it’s just a shame they get so trashed, but at least you give us a chance to see these amazing places before they vanish forever. Respect from the UK
Oddly enough, it's hell in the summer and cold in the winter. I've had to spend entire days working in areas that stay around 140+F and also had to spend entire days outside working in -30F .....the things we'll put ourselves through to pay the bills.
Still those jobs were better than NO JOBS. Men used to work there and there wife used to take care of them and their kids. Now Men are alcoholics and there women had become strippers, kids have become junkies. LOL.
It was actually quite nice, I worked there for 25 years, they always treated us workers well and brought us snacks while we worked, often times we would cook traditional Danish sausage over the hot furnace, it made for a very nice day. Thank you for reading my comments. Olaf
![เปิด อาณาจักร หมื่นล้าน "สาระตั้ม" l [Nickynachat]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/3XE0nPF4YkQ/mqdefault.jpg)
Hope everyone enjoyed this episode! This was a special one for us since this was a bucket list location of ours for so many years. Wouldn't be possible without all of you and we're so appreciative of that fact.
Special thanks to Pierre M, an ex-employee of the steel mill who allowed us to use his footage of the blast furnace in action. You can see his blog about the steel industry in Liège here: haut-fourneau06.skyrock.com/
Also, who knows what "omelette du fromage" is from?
lit asf
U guys r amazing ☺️
I love the inclusion of the real footage, provided it's available I wish you'd used it on all your other explorations
The Proper People I love watching your video
This was probably my favorite of all of y'all's videos so far. The sheer detail and quality put into every single one of these videos makes me anxiously wait for the next one
Unbelievable industrial abandonment. It doesn’t get much better than this. You guys filmed this excellently with the old footage - I think this is your best exploration documentary to date!
@Urandoned Imagine trying to service this place.
Abandoned but with an active natural gas fire in the melt pot? I wouldn't say abandoned but instead inactive. Keeping the pot hot and waiting for a new melt. If it was abandoned, there would be no natural gas being used at all.
@@skuzlebut82 That was old footage blended in with the exploration footage.
I don’t live that far from this place. Nothing special, the French part of Belgium is full of abandoned factory’s like this one. Accelor Mital closed it down. It seems that buying iron in China is cheaper than doing it yourself. A lot of people lost their job and you notice it when visiting de city. The air quality by the other hand improved a lot in this area. Not far from there, there is still some small iron foundry activity going on.
I think your English is broken
As an engineer, I can’t imagine how stressful this facility would have been to design/build/operate/maintain.
I'm not an engineer (cause I'm only a teen) but I am writing a story about a character who's an electrical engineer and I know some stuff about engineering. When I saw all of that machinery I thought how much effort the engineers have put to create facilities like that - just like Abel van de Ven (my character) does!
Blast furnaces are just unreal. I'm an automotive design engineer so learning about heavy industry and steel making is more like a hobby to me. But I recommend visiting one (I went to the Henrichshütte Hattingen museum), it is breathtaking to realize the specs and some details of the design and the operation. Since the iron age, the blast furnace is really the cradle of all technology. It's maybe a lot more controlled now (I would like to visit Thyssen in Duisburg, they do tours) but you get the idea how much of a wild ride it was running one of the older ones. Even standing next to a deactivated one radiates pure violence. It's a continuous hellfire. One detail of the operation for example is, if there is a blockage inside the furnace (build up of non-combustible material) they would drill a hole into the steel shell into the furnace and insert an explosive charge to free the clot. Insane. People have died doing this. Anyway, I'd love to visit the sites in Belgium, too. I think a lot of people don't even have a remote idea of what's actually involved in many of their everyday products.
My dad is a professional engineer and worked at the USS Clairton works for years. He was always stressed out. I am in school for drafting and I couldn't imagine maintaining one of these bad boys.
Up until March 2023...i worked in a Basic Oxygen Furnace as an HSE supervisor. I had a.friend who worked in the blast furnace next door. It was the biggest steel Mill in Latin America...
which year did they make it and how did they design all of that stuff and make sure the system worked. I'm an industrial designer, just wondering how people made great things back then with poor computer performance
I always think about the workers that build that steel mill, they were the ones who had to work up in the air carrying a lot of building material with only scaffolds and shaky ladders and platforms to hang on to. Imagine the sweat or the cold days working that went into that place. They are the real heroes in my book. Good video
Um no scaffolds they shimmied down the I beams and took a single elevator to the top. They walked in the open with no safety equipment. That was how it was done in the olden days.
Google iron workers who worked on sky scrapers or any buildings in the 30's-60's you'll see nothing of the sort. Balls of steel and hella chill is what got the job done.
Cool video guys, though you’re very much re-introducing my fear of heights.
Love your vids! I have watched every Abandoned episode! Thank you
hhp
"Blast Furnace" is still the most kickass name for anything.
Ohey, a fellow Blocklander
In that case, check out the track Blast Furnace by Magnitogorsk - you're welcome ;)
Yes... as well as "Bessemer Converter" and "Oxy-Lance."
@@KutWrite Do you understand why they were named that?
There's a gun in Destiny named after one
It's weird to see that there's still train cars with coal in them on the spur line. Makes it look like they were expecting to do more work the next day but just stopped, even though they obviously decommissioned it.
Trains with coal/ore runned every two hours around the clock in the past
The train arrives with a load and a purchase order and the train yard manager accepts delivery. The fact that the materials will never be used is neither the concern of the train, the yard or even the mill owners.
This needs to be a multiplayer map.
Rust from MW2 hahah
23:27 - look - its even got red barrels to shoot.
It would be a cool place to play airsoft or manhunt
too bad tho the map would be around the control room because the map size would not fit in a Cod game.
Oh maybe a map in the dayz mod ????
I live at 10 minutes from this place, I have been seeing it for years, passing by, seeing it from the highway, knowing its existence, knowing people who worked there, even my dad worked there (for a short time) when he was young... Since I'm a child I hear and know about this place. And it has always been such a mysterious thing, and knowing it's dead but still up, rising and reigning all over the area is so intriguing. I had the chance to visit it 2 years ago... one of the most beaufitul things I have seen and experienced in my life. This place has so much history in this area, more than a century of life, being part of the industrial landscape of Seraing, of Liège, and we could say of Belgium. All the families linked to this place all over the decades : to HF6, to Chertal, well... to all Arcelor sites actually (and there are a lot ot them in Belgium or France). It is so settled in our landscape, cities, those big giant structures, impressive, even frightening at some point that we could not even think about working there, or just be inside of one of these giant structures. It had so much importance back in the days, this area is an industrial one, all along the Meuse river you can see industrial companies, old ones, new ones... It's being part of this land we live in. Well, being there was quite something, I got feelings I have found again thanks to you. The place is so big that a day wouldn't be enough to explore all of it. Thank you for the video, brings a lot of memories ! I was waiting for this one, thanks !
Where is this place?
Well said Electer. I've been there like 5 times an entire day and have not seen everything yet
@@jellymop It's in Seraing, the place is one of the many Cockerill-Sambre sites, this one is Cockerill-Ougrée !
@@wanneske1969 Crazy how it feels so silent and strange being inside the place, with much activity around the site, the highway, the other companies... that gives such a unique feeling. Some people don't get it when I say this place is beautiful... but it is. There is so much beauty on these installations.
Electer: thank you for your comment. While watching this I was wondering what the locals thought of this place dominating the skyline. Now I know.
The respect and homage you pay to sites like this is commendable beyond words. The workers and even the government should give you an award for showcasing things like this; for posterity. You both do amazing work; these videos will likely be your strongest legacy.
The narrative was amazing Michael what a place to explore one of the best places you guys uploaded from your European road trip that blast furnace footage was killer thanks to you both including it and Pierre for letting you include in this awesome video
Many thanks Margaret ;)
@Joe Casson i think they are NUTS for being on that structure ! I work as a millwright on a 32 tuyere furnace in Canada . A blast furnace is a VERY corrosive environment . They require constant repair both mechanically and structurally . I am tied off 90% of the time working on a running furnace , would never set foot on a decommissioned furnace without a 2 lanyard harness at all times .
This would literally be the coolest Netflix TV show
Yeah except Netflix would tell them how to run their show and if they didn't listen they'd make a bunch of lies about the proper people and get them hated and destroyed. They are not good for humanity.
@@Budaboose could you please cite your sources?
I was your 100th like LOL
Except, TH-cam has it for free
Wow, big thanks to Pierre M. Incredible to see these facilities actually working, such a change from then and now.
Many thanks Robert
The way you treat these places you visit like old friends you know won't be around forever... your dedication and appreciation are touching
That tree growing off the machinery was so cool!
@@cukier9a7b5 9:52
Bee's dominate many old lava tube entrances. I've seen multi-layered hives up to 10' in length. Nothing you want to mess with. Good to finally see explorers wearing respirators.
Just dropping an "F" for our brother Blast Furnace B. Anyway, what an incredible video. An incredible location. These jungles of steel are absolutely beautiful in their own unique way.
F
F
F
I still re-watch this video every +- 2 months, it's so good. The edits, the commentary and the sphere. It's just perfect. Amazing work guys. I also visited it myself after this video and it was a-ma-zing.
im truly amazed with this video, it was one of the best vids ever ( i saw every vid that you guys have), thanks for making thi videos! well done
I come back to this video every so often just to hear the monolog at 17:50 - it always makes me smile. Moments like this are rare in life, and it's always amazing when someone allows you to share it with them in some way. Really happy that you guys got to achieve and experience this
Time to kick back, relax, and watch some of The Proper People
Smoke a big fattie.
@Poison I have a couple pens but I just like the smoothness of smoke..vaping burns the lungs up.
Enjoying The Sun 577-Jersey Customs weed will calm my asthma, vaping hurts my lungs.
Yeah,flower is much smoother.@@user-lq1dk6gr3p
The drone footage music is "Johannes Bornlof - Hunger, Thirst" for anyone wondering
I have been an urban explorer, caver and photographer for over 30 years because of the love of the old abandon history. With that I have enjoyed watching your videos vicariously, wishing I could be there. I thank you guys for preserving the history of these old beautiful places before they disappear for ever. Stay safe and keep it up.
This is one of my favourite TH-cam videos of all time. Period.
I get the wilies when I have to walk on any raised platforms, roofs or anything when exploring abandoned places... can't imagine being that high up 😮
Man, I'm obsessed with this channel. No clickbait titles, cool places I've never seen before, it makes me want to explore abandonded places like this myself.
THE PROPER PEOPLE are the best, they deserve more subscribers.
@Bill Williams But than I'd HAVE to get TV in college
I had the pleasure to visit this plant several times when it was still operating - also thanks to Pierre.
That was a pleasure Harald ;)
7:25 what an absolutely breathtaking shot, well done.
This is probably one of, if not your best videos yet. Showing the furnace operational was a great addition to the video, and the music really helped set a good mood.
No fake drama, no BS, just the beauty of an abandoned space and its history.
Absolutely excellent video as per usual. I really enjoy your work and it is such important work to document these abandoned places of history.
Agreed!
I absolutely agree. The Proper People are just at the top of things I like to watch on the tube.
@@rafenwulf One of the few channels I have notifications turned on for.
To me this is one of the best episodes you’ve ever done.
You guys have really stepped it up with this Europe trip. Amazing footage.
This brings back a lot of memories. I used to inspect blast furnaces with high temp cameras and Flir infrared.
Hands down your best video yet. The transition from the old video to the abandoned furnace shot was seamless. Keep up the good work.
I've been watching your videos on and off from the beginning. My nine year old daughter was looking over my shoulder last week and wanted to see more so we have watched everything in chronological order. The quality and professionalism has steadily increased and this it one of your very best. Now my girl wants nothing more then to start her own channel and your comments and appreciation in this video are a lesson to aspiring TH-camrs. Thank you for all the great content, looking forward to many more.
*_You are living the dream._*
Thanks for sharing it with us.
Who designs these things….incredible and so beautiful!! You said it perfectly, like a sculpture! Thanks so much for sharing this adventure, my absolute favourite video thus far!
WOW This is defenetly the best video i have ever seen on youtube. I live in Liège and i know a lot of people who have worked there. It was the heart of the city at the time and it is very sad to see it like that today. I take the train everyday to go to school and use the tunnel you guys show in the video. I have always wanted to visit the factory but it is so heavely garded and the area is so polluted that i have never done it. Unfortunately it is slowly decaying and will eventually be scraped. Thanks you so much for this awesome video!
You must not have seen cat plays keyboard then.
@vincent gerard. it s easy to access and if u go on sundays no one is there. we once went on a wednesday and a train driver saw us coming out. go on a sunday and you re safe 😁
Been there 4x and all I did see was some other dudes and scrappers hammering en pulling out metal, but never ever security...
17:16 how it felt to look down from the top of the playground in 1st grade
With most things in life, like this structure, you never really see, or care, how it all comes together. But with people like the proper people, showing up close in detail all from the tiny to the enormous in each of these structures, it really makes you think: "How was man able to construct this" throughout the entire facility there is so much chaos in each contraption, you wonder how any of this made sense to anyone.
27 minutes without blinking. Fantastic footage guys, and as always excellent editing and music. Maybe the best video I ever watched on TH-cam, got a highly spiritual vibe from this. And I thought it was unlikely to top the nuclear power plant footage (and sound!) but you certainly pulled it off again. I take off my hat for thee!
Out of all of the videos you guys have posted, this one is almost certainly one of the best if not the very best.
This still remains my favorite video of yours. I love all the different shapes of the buildings and machinery. I love how it rises up out of the landscape, and sprawls out into every part of the surrounding city, like a massive tree with long roots. I loved the time of day you chose to film it. And I love how nature is reclaiming it so quickly. It's somber, and yet somehow hopeful all at once. I'm glad this video exists because some day this great machine may not.
wow the last train that did bring the last shipment is still there. That is so rare something you never see.
Most mills have their own in house cars. Generally, raw materials are brought in via boat. The coal is about the only thing brought in via train. In a steel mill, you'll see anything from pugh ladles, slab cars, coil cars, ore cars, to spacer cars. None of them have any type of braking system and cannot legally leave the mill. So, not to burst your bubble, but it's not remotely rare.
Can I just say, thank you guys for wearing masks on the second day. Seeing you walk through all that dust the first day WITHOUT them was very concerning; don't want you guys to be too sick to share more of these incredible explorations, for which we are all so thankful!
I’m so happy to be part of this at some point, hear you saying that you were living a dream, it’s a pleasure. Keep it up guys, there’s still a lot to see and film. Thank you for such a great video.
I am from Belgium and I explored this place multiple times. So happy to re-experience it in this video!
Amazing explore guys. I've been following you for a few years now and have to say that you are very much a cut above the rest when it comes to locations, camera work, editing, sound narration & historical input. Keep up the great work and looking forward to seeing more great explores from your trip!!
The footage, editing and narration of these videos is just so fantastic. Others have tried to copy it, but there is nothing like the proper people!
A titan forgotten in time. Looks like a good place to film a whole movie.
What an extraordinary document you have made. The last few minute nearly moved me to tears. You should be proud!
Beautiful video you guys. I even got a bit emotional when you went into your story at sunset. I also loved that you put video material from when it was still up and running in here. I hope you can do that more often when possible. Again, lovely cinematic shots - as always. I'm glad you guys got to visit this site before they're tearing it down. I can't wait to see what you guys have in store for us in 2019 and the future! Happy New Year!
Living within the rust belt area with so many abandoned steel factories and other mills. I’ve always wondered what the blast furnaces had looked like. Finally seeing one with my own eyes through this video was amazing. Well done you guys really deserve more subscribers.
Disappointing video. At no time did we find a chair, "just chllin". :)
Awesome work guys. Soon this will be torn down, but you have a video showing what once was. Keep up the great work!
Chairs were banned in this facility after one of the workers fell asleep and slipped into the furnace, there was a 36 hour manhunt before the realization came that he was lost into the furnace
Truly a sad day for all of us at BRTS Plant Works
Deathly allergic to bees, braves a swarm and rusted catwalks alone. Absolute mad lad.
Ikr.....??!!!!!
The main reason these steel mills were shut down were two fold. One was cheaper steel from abroad, and the other, the shutdown of Nuclear Power stations that before had provided less costly electricity to power them.
Belgium had nuclear stations?
@@bombtwenty3867 Since 1974 and still has some.
@@bombtwenty3867 why wouldn't they?
@@bombtwenty3867 yeah we have 7 nuclear reactors that are still running
@@bombtwenty3867 Yes, as
laveturner jones said we do have some nuclear reactors. It has to be added though that occasionally that number is reduced for a while. Realistically they have reached the end of their life span, but because there is no plan on what to do when they are out of service their retirement date continuously gets pushed back.
The amount of production along with time and skill that goes into these videos makes them seem like they’re a licensed television program
Believe me or not, but the cargo ships shown in the video already passed RIGHT IN FRONT OF MY HOUSE. I life in nothern France, on the side of the "Deûle" channel.
Ah what a coincidence, I was just watching you tearing down a soviet nerve agent detector
Weren't those barges?
whyd id they shut down the mill.? not enough buyers?
Could have been any number of reasons. Old equipment and not enough money to update, unsafe conditions, relocation, bigger foundry was built elsewhere or bought this company, etc.
“Omelette du fromage” 😂😂 That’s so sweet of you to make efforts to talk to the bees 🐝
Steve Martin taught me that. Haha
Your soundtrack is incredible. It adds so much to the ambience. Is there anywhere I can find the song used in the video that is also used during the end card?
Here ;) th-cam.com/video/s59F9FO8P8c/w-d-xo.html
my first abandoned building exploration was in first grade at my home property, it was an old grain farm house, ever since then i have been in love with the abandoned and forgotten i am currently struggling to successfully explore and photo document abandoned places what you said at the end of the video about how we need a physical reminder of our progress has been a dream of mine for a long time, im so glad i found this channel since i definitely see those lost stories in abandoned places.
An other awesome exploration at this blast furnace, great views and enhanced with some of the original operating footage. Thanks for sharing. Great choice of music too. Keep those video's coming.
I was working in Liege back in 1993 and got to see that steel mill in operation. It is fantastic to tour an operational steel mill.
I knew this was Belgium immediately from the thumbnail. This factory complex has fascinated me for a long time but I haven't visited it yet.
Visited this site five times. Still feels like having only seen a fraction of the area. The amount of details is mind-blowing and I guess that I will never find another blast furnace which is so interesting. Found pictures of the worker's christmas party, looked through several folders which ended in finding an extremely detailed map of the facility and discovered even more buildings, interrupted metal thieves while they tried to pull copper beams out of an electricity turbine - it's an adventure most people would never be even willing to understand.
Your video pays a more than adequate tribute to this place and I am happy you guys appreciate the place in a likewise manner. Keep up the good work! :)
Greetings from Cologne, Germany!
Iron oxide : Rust really helps the growth maybe that's why it looks like it has been abandoned for more years. Nature is impressive
I just want to tell you guys that you are by far the best on the internet exploring and want to thank you for doing your homework on the places you explore instead of just walking through these places and guessing what things are and how they work. I worked in a few of the steel mills in the United States and appreciate the history behind these and the generation of workers that built and maintained them. There are 4 generations in my family alone and its always a somber feeling when I see them passing by or on videos such as yours. These factory's produced great people, great neighborhoods and livelihoods for families for years. Again thank you!! From the first video you guys have done till the most recent ones, you have both come a long way in exploring and presentation. Keep up the good work. I just watched one of your videos that you explored a hospital right near me here in Daytona Beach. Actually its located in Ormond Beach, FL.
Keep up the awesome work!!!!
Did nobody catch the Dexter's Lab refrence?
Love you guys!
Stay Safe!
this is by far my favorite video on youtube, and it will forever be.
"Cathedrals of steel" I love it!
This is one if not the best video I have ever seen on utube. U guys should win an award. Very well done doc. And the film work is beyond anything I could imagine or hope for. Thanks for being you and please be safe. God bless. From Idaho.
Absolutely amazing documentary of HFB, really wish i could like this a thousend times. Also at 18:39 i felt exectly the same when i was there a week ago.
I don't think I've ever seen anything like it. It's the sheer scale of the site and operation. It blows my mind, it really makes me think seeing all this. Fantastic documentary footage of this place before it's gone.
5:07 that's the tapping and sealing gun used to drain the piggy iron. It injects a clay like mud to seal the hole once done.
This town was the site of the first battle of World War 1 when the Germans invaded. I couldn't help but think that this plant probably produced steel to support the German war effort as Belgium was occupied for 4 years during WW2. There seems to be so much history involved other than the plant itself, which I enjoyed your tour of. Good job.
I haven’t seen these guys in a while. Glad to see a new video.
😂 “Omelette du fromage!” I’m sensing a Dexters Lab reference.
Its amazing how artistic these industrial structures look after theyre long abandoned
13:00 Imagine going in there with a leaf blower...that would look incredible and probably kill you
Slow mo that though
Oh lord
Ill donate my life to this cause to see what happens
This was an amazing video. From the small videos you inserted to show the different process occurring with the equipment you were touring, the incredible drone shots and that scary climb to the top of the furnace. One of the best Proper People videos you’ve ever produced! You guys rock. Thanks for doing what you keep doing!
Watching you do these expeditions makes me hope you've both had training in emergency trauma techniques. If ANY of those steps gave way you'd instantly be in a life or death situation.
It's obvious that since you've posted this video, you've returned safely :)
You've shown good judgement when things looked "sketchy" before, I just felt the need to voice a bit of concern.
Long live the Proper People and stay safe :)
So happy they included footage of it in working condition and gave credit to the videographer. Love the quality of the videos, best explorers for sure 🙌.
I always think of the stories that must have happened and got forgotten in all those abandoned places.
Brings back memories for me. I worked in the Bethlehem Steel Plant in Bethlehem, PA for 31 years. I was in the rolling mills but did take a tour of the blast furnace when we were operational.
Barry
Barry Kery The Bethlehem Steel site is unique in that a lot of it including the furnaces have been preserved. That's not at all common with former steelworks unfortunately.
No way ! I live near this place and I know someone who worked there. He could've explained everything about this factory to you.
Love your videos by the way ! ;-)
Congrats, guys. You're lucky as hell to have each other for friendship and professional support, never put anything above that bond, many people never have such an opportunity.
I was actually on the crew who demolished it, I saved a few nice pieces from it, if you'd like me to mail you one please let me know. Such a sad time to see such a cool place be demolished, all of us took a moment of silence after it came down
when was it demolished? I have planned to visit it this month damn
@@olivercasagrande9673 It never was. Went there a few month back. Everything is just like in this video.
You should definitely go. You can just walk right in, theres no security at all
@@kaptein1247 Er is wel veel veranderd, ben er twee maand terug geweest en ze waren volop bezig met slopen.
@@MatthijsG. Dat is raar. Ik was er 18 september nog. Was toen echt letterlijk hetzelfde in de video. Jammer dat ze steeds meer gebouwen aan het slopen zijn in belgie
@@kaptein1247 do you know the current state of it?
Machines that were the "Mechanism Of The Universe" They helped us build everything we needed.
It probably took as much steel to build that place as it ever produced!...Incredible!
Excellent video guys! The best yet!
This video moved me to tears. Absolutely beautiful.
"The entrance is monitored by video surveillance" 😂 Guys, this is Belgium, 🇧🇪 there's not even a government here and even if there is video surveillance, nobody will be watching. 😁
Belgium at its best lol
If they are even turned on lol
The engineering behind this facility is astronomical, hats off to the people that design facilities like this.
It's hard to believe this might actually be some of the last footage ever filmed from that tower, if not actually the last.
My grandpa worked for a steelworks. Always enjoy videos on what it might have looked like inside. Very surreal video. You both have at least documented part of the plant for future generations, as all of your videos do, and that is appreciated. Keep up the great work!
You guys should try the game called "Infra" it's on steam, it's basically an Urbex game with some puzzles and stuff, it's pretty fun. I think you guys would like it
Yes! This steel factory reminds me of the one from infra
I've visited this place 2 times. First time we concentrated on the blast furnace. Explored the conveyer belts, the tracks at the main entrance, close to where the surveillance cameras are, and went all the way to the top of the furnace, climbed those same stairs up and down. We had a sunny day like you guys, and the colours along with the contrast and detail was just mind blowing.
Second time we explored the rest of the site. Surrounding areas and buildings. It was cloudy and kinda dark. A whole different atmosphere and feeling. Kind of uncomfortable and eerie.
I still think I haven't seen all of it. It's too much to take and comprehend. A lot of crazy angles and triggers all over the place.
Thanks for the video, it's very well made. And thanks for the added info as well!
Btw they are dismantling the factory now. Not to much time left to visit this beast of a lost place. I give it a couple more years at most. It's hard to top this one.
12:37 "One small step for man, one giant step for mankind"
Just going through your back catalogue of explores and this one blew me away. Late to the party I know but wow, awesome, the editing the music the old footage of the working blast furnace you guys really know how to nail it. Love your work, all I can say is keep it coming, I love your appreciation of these places whether it be an old factory, power plant or public building, it’s just a shame they get so trashed, but at least you give us a chance to see these amazing places before they vanish forever. Respect from the UK
Damn.. working there must felt like working in hell some times..
i work a a sister facility of this one in gent and in the summer it does kinda feel like hell temp wise. but it is a really fun job otherwise!
Oddly enough, it's hell in the summer and cold in the winter. I've had to spend entire days working in areas that stay around 140+F and also had to spend entire days outside working in -30F
.....the things we'll put ourselves through to pay the bills.
Still those jobs were better than NO JOBS. Men used to work there and there wife used to take care of them and their kids. Now Men are alcoholics and there women had become strippers, kids have become junkies. LOL.
It was actually quite nice, I worked there for 25 years, they always treated us workers well and brought us snacks while we worked, often times we would cook traditional Danish sausage over the hot furnace, it made for a very nice day. Thank you for reading my comments. Olaf
This place is amazing and what a sunset. So glad you two were able to do this, and to hear the enjoyment you got out of it.