The Place

In 1832, the blacksmith Puissant d'Agimont and the industrialist Thomas Bonehill founded a factory on a site called La Providence, which would bring renown to the Charleroi region in the steel industry. The location was indeed strategic, situated between the Sambre River and the Charleroi-Brussels-Antwerp Canal, a stone's throw from the Marchienne-Mechelen railway line and an important mining site.

Destroyed during the First World War, the forges were rebuilt in the aftermath of the conflict. Operations ran at full capacity before their acquisition by the Cockerill group, a prelude to the industrial decline of the 1980s.

In 2005, a collective of artists and friends reclaimed and preserved the industrial wasteland and renamed it Rockerill. A new life began for the La Providence forges: concert venues, a metalworking cooperative, artists' studios, and the creation of the Rockerill Records label.

Since 2011, Rockerill has been part of Club Plasma and has signed a program agreement with the Wallonia-Brussels Federation. Cultural activities are expanding (industrial happy hours, international concerts, electronic music nights, etc.). The venue hosts over 300 artists each season in various formats. Its influence has continued to grow, attracting over 25,000 people annually. After heavy industry and coal mining, alternative culture is now a flagship of the City of Charleroi, and Rockerill plays an active and decisive role in this!