1. The History
Located above the hamlet of Borgoûmont in a clearing in the middle of the woods at an altitude of 420 meters, this imposing building of approximately 150 meters in length faces south. Construction of the imposing sanatorium commenced in 1900 at the initiative of Ernest Malvoz, the then director of the bacteriological laboratory of the province of Liège. It was built of sandstone rubble and half-timbering with cut stone in angles. Its concave architecture was thought to increase the absorption of heat, air and light which was essential for TB therapy.
There was also a small tower erected in the middle of the building. The sanatorium welcomed its first patients two years later in 1903. When it closed as sanatorium it then served as centre for asylum seekers between 2010 and 2013 and then briefly operated as a nursing home before being abandoned.
2. The Explore
Been on my list after seeing pictures of it crop up on various forums. It’s deep in the reaches of the Wallonia region of Belgium and hence a bit off the beaten track. However its effectively a walk-up once you are there. So with a family hol not far away it was a no-brainer to swing past here. It is very popular with many Euro-urbexers so was very much far from alone. The place is already stripped but is now starting to get smashed up and graffed too which is a shame given it is such a stunning building. So plain on the inside but a sight to behold on the outside. What the future holds for this place is uncertain. Hopefully it won’t go the same way as a certain Welsh asylum. It would make a great hotel or resort but the money needed to invest in the place may be prohibitive given the location of the place.
3. The Pictures
Think we’re in the right place…
img5994 by HughieDW, on Flickr
Oh yes!
img5995 by HughieDW, on Flickr
St Basil 02 by HughieDW, on Flickr
Nice tower…
img5996 by HughieDW, on Flickr
Digging the orange blinds..
img5997 by HughieDW, on Flickr
Solidly built:
img5999 by HughieDW, on Flickr
img6037 by HughieDW, on Flickr
img6001 by HughieDW, on Flickr
Loving the curvature:
img6003 by HughieDW, on Flickr
img6033 by HughieDW, on Flickr
And in its full glory:
St Basil 03 by HughieDW, on Flickr
The inside doesn’t quite live up to the externals:
img5998 by HughieDW, on Flickr
Lots of corridors and broken glass:
img6039bw by HughieDW, on Flickr
And orange doors!
img6038 by HughieDW, on Flickr
img6019 by HughieDW, on Flickr
And some fairly crap graff:
img6022 by HughieDW, on Flickr
img6018 by HughieDW, on Flickr
Round the back:
img6008 by HughieDW, on Flickr
And the boiler room is slightly more interesting:
img6015 by HughieDW, on Flickr
img6013 by HughieDW, on Flickr
img6012 by HughieDW, on Flickr
But really it’s all about this…
img6006 by HughieDW, on Flickr
Located above the hamlet of Borgoûmont in a clearing in the middle of the woods at an altitude of 420 meters, this imposing building of approximately 150 meters in length faces south. Construction of the imposing sanatorium commenced in 1900 at the initiative of Ernest Malvoz, the then director of the bacteriological laboratory of the province of Liège. It was built of sandstone rubble and half-timbering with cut stone in angles. Its concave architecture was thought to increase the absorption of heat, air and light which was essential for TB therapy.
There was also a small tower erected in the middle of the building. The sanatorium welcomed its first patients two years later in 1903. When it closed as sanatorium it then served as centre for asylum seekers between 2010 and 2013 and then briefly operated as a nursing home before being abandoned.
2. The Explore
Been on my list after seeing pictures of it crop up on various forums. It’s deep in the reaches of the Wallonia region of Belgium and hence a bit off the beaten track. However its effectively a walk-up once you are there. So with a family hol not far away it was a no-brainer to swing past here. It is very popular with many Euro-urbexers so was very much far from alone. The place is already stripped but is now starting to get smashed up and graffed too which is a shame given it is such a stunning building. So plain on the inside but a sight to behold on the outside. What the future holds for this place is uncertain. Hopefully it won’t go the same way as a certain Welsh asylum. It would make a great hotel or resort but the money needed to invest in the place may be prohibitive given the location of the place.
3. The Pictures
Think we’re in the right place…
Oh yes!
Nice tower…
Digging the orange blinds..
Solidly built:
Loving the curvature:
And in its full glory:
The inside doesn’t quite live up to the externals:
Lots of corridors and broken glass:
And orange doors!
And some fairly crap graff:
Round the back:
And the boiler room is slightly more interesting:
But really it’s all about this…