Uckange ironworks, Industrial monument in Uckange, France.

Uckange ironworks is a former blast-furnace site whose surviving U4 furnace rises as a steel-plate tower, glowing red and orange from within, with a rectangular platform at its top. A single dark smokestack stands to its left, and an inclined metal conveyor bridge slopes up to the right toward a smaller tower on angled struts. Pipes, beams and gas-cleaning installations surround the furnace.

The facility opened in 1890 and operated under different ownership before closing in 1991. Over this century of production, it went through several technical upgrades that increased its capacity and changed how work happened on site.

The site is called Jardin des Traces, a landscaped park laid out around furnace U4 after the plant closed. The name refers to the traces of industry left in the ground and in the buildings. The surviving control pulpit, boiler house and workshops stand beside the furnace, and the Stumm family's villa still stands in Uckange.

The site is open to visitors and located at a central address in Uckange with marked pathways through the installations. Wear sturdy shoes since you will walk on uneven ground and some areas are outdoors and exposed to the elements.

The U4 furnace ran continuously from its 1976 overhaul until March 1989, then was relit after a 1989 repair with computerised control and a new pulverised-coal injection unit. It was shut for good on 17 December 1991 despite protests against the July 1991 closure announcement. The surviving control pulpit, boiler house and workshops stand beside it.