6,000 mining photos online

The coal mines in Limburg are the only coal mines in The Netherlands. They were operational from 1906 until 1973 and exploited by the state. DSM, a chemical company with roots in the Dutch mining industry, and DeMijnen.nl, a not-for-profit organization dedicated to Dutch mining history, published 6,000 photos from the archives of the Dutch state mines today. There are many photos from the mines, but also photos of the miners' houses, shops, churches and social life

The state mines were by far the largest employer of the Southern Limburg region for much of the 20th century. If your ancestors lived in this region in the early or mid 20th century, chances are that they were somehow dependent on the mines, either as a miner or as an employee of the supporting industries.