In the city of Heerlen in the south of the Netherlands stands the abandoned complex of Van Der Leegte Castings, a large iron foundry that once played an important role in the region’s heavy industry. Today the vast halls are silent, the furnaces are cold, and the machinery that once processed tons of molten iron has been sold off.
History
The foundry was originally established in the 1970s, during a time when Limburg was still heavily shaped by industry after the decline of coal mining. The facility specialized in producing cast-iron components for sectors such as automotive, agriculture, rail transport and construction machinery.
Over the years the plant changed ownership several times. For a period it was part of the Finnish company Componenta, before the Dutch industrial group VDL Groep took over the facility in 2017 after Componenta’s bankruptcy. The plant continued operations under the name VDL Castings Heerlen.
Despite investments and attempts to modernize the production line, the future of the foundry remained uncertain. Rising energy costs, environmental regulations and increasing international competition made it difficult to keep the plant profitable.
Closure
In 2024, VDL announced that the casting operations in Heerlen would be phased out. The decision meant the loss of more than a hundred jobs and marked the end of decades of iron casting in the city.
Once production stopped, the enormous industrial halls were empty. Conveyor systems, molding machines and heavy cranes where sold at auction to minimize damages, giving the site a raw and authentic industrial atmosphere.
