Upward movement of the surface, referred to as uplift, has been observed after the closure of several coal fields in Europe and the flooding of the underground infrastructure and the surrounding rock mass . Although the link with the water level is known, the exact mechanisms of the uplift are not entirely understood. The main aim of the study is to develop a framework to calculate uplift values, allowing a better understanding and explanation of the phenomenon of uplift. The shape of the measured uplift values along a north-south transect above the mine of Eisden in the eastern part of the Belgian Campine coal basin was used as the basis to verify the calculated uplift values. The crucial aspect in getting a good match is to consider both the expansion of the goaf material when the water level is increased and the expansion of all the strata between the excavated panels and around the mined area. It is assumed that the strata also are drained during mining and that the values of the pore pressure are increased to their original values after the mine is closed. A good fit with the measurements was observed for a goaf thickness equal to four times the mining height, a stiffness ratio between goaf and the rest of strata equal to 1 on 10, and a Poisson's ratio of 0.25.