The cold stone walls loom. They whisper tales of a century past. This is the Prison de Forest Gevangenis te Vorst. For over a hundred years this imposing structure held countless individuals. Their stories are etched into these very stones.
The Prison de Forest opened in 1910. It replaced the older Miniemen prison in Brussels. Architect L Bouckaert designed the building. He employed a Flemish neo-Renaissance style. The prison was an extension of the Saint-Gilles prison. The two were even connected by an underground passage. They were separated only by Verbindingslaan.
Initially a house of detention the Prison de Forest later became a prison for convicts. For decades it was notorious. It symbolized overcrowding in Belgian prisons. The aging infrastructure deteriorated. By the early 21st century conditions were appalling. In 2022 the prison finally closed. Prisoners moved to the new Haren prison. The building is now awaiting repurposing.
The Prison de Forest had a nickname. People called it the “bucket prison”. Why? Because of the lack of running water. Prisoners had to use buckets for their needs. This stark reality highlights the grim conditions. These conditions were far from humane. They violated basic human rights.
Infamous inmates included murderer Freddy Horion and top criminal Patrick Hamers. Their stories add to the prison’s dark legacy. The building itself is a protected monument. It received protected status on March 23 2017.
The women’s section initially occupied a wing. It later relocated to the nearby Berkendael prison in the late 1980s. Berkendael was newer and more modern. Even Berkendael would eventually be replaced. It was part of the broader effort to modernize Belgium’s prison system.
The Prison de Forest’s closure marks a turning point. The move to the Haren prison signifies improvements. Haren offers better conditions. However the memory of the Prison de Forest remains. It serves as a reminder of past injustices and the ongoing struggle for humane prison conditions. The building’s future use will shape its next chapter. But the echoes of the past will always linger within those walls.