I came across this fascinating site approximately 25 kilometres north of Metz by chance when recently visiting this region of North Eastern France.
As soon as you approach the U4 Blast Furnace in Uckange you realise how visually striking it is. This heritage site preserves the last remaining blast furnace of the vast Uckange steelworks. Blast furnace U4 was just one of six blast furnaces at the Uckange steel complex which once formed a major part of the iron and steel industry that powered the economic growth of the Fensch Valley throughout the twentieth century. After the closure of the plant in 1991, the furnace was saved from demolition and later opened to the public as a heritage and cultural attraction. The entry fee is a mere €4.
The immense scale of the U4 furnace makes it a fascinating photographic subject. The complex includes towering steel structures, massive pipes, conveyors, workshops and an 82-metre brick chimney. They create dramatic compositions from almost every angle. The weathered steel, riveted steel structures and intricate network of industrial equipment provide endless opportunities for both wide-angle architectural studies and detailed abstract images. There are plenty of rusty metal surfaces and geometric patterns to last for a whole day of photography!
Light plays a particularly important role at U4. The latticework of girders and walkways creates striking contrasts of shadow and sunlight in condition of strong light which was the case when I was there. Equally a dull day and diffused lighting would bring out all the fine details in the structures. This is a location where you will need everything from macro and wide angle to a long reach telephoto lens. And lots of time.
Visitors to the site are channelled through a museum which includes explanations of the steel making process, itself a fascinating subject. Then the tour of the site is by a well made steel walkway that criss-crosses the site at ground level and at elevation. For safety reasons, there is no option to leave the walkway to get closer to subjects of interest which does limit the options somewhat. It took us about an hour to walk round the site and do some basic photography; for the duration of our visit, we were the only people there. It’s nice to have a place like this to ones self, but because you are confined to the walkway, other visitors are unlikely to get in the way of your photography. It would have been possible to spend the whole day there for some serious “on-location” photography, exploring all the possibilities.
Whether your interests lie in architecture, industrial heritage, urban landscapes or fine-art photography, U4 is possibly the most rewarding photographic locations in this region of France.
Mike Hawkridge Photography 
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