I visited Charleroi in Belgian to discover and photograph the mysteries of the most interesting post-industrial region of Europe. A lot of deserted factory buildings and industrial areas tell the story of the former economic boom.

“Urbex” stands for urban exploration. A genre of photography which always excited me. I couldn’t find a better definition than what is written on Wikipedia.: “Urban exploration is the exploration of manmade structures, usually abandoned ruins or hidden components of the manmade environment. Photography and historical interest/documentation are heavily featured in the hobby and it sometimes involves trespassing onto private property.”

Yes I trespassed on private property and, yes, it felt good. It reminded me on my childhood.

Charleroi​

During the industrial revolution, Charleroi became a major centre for glass, coal mining and the steel industry. The city developed into the economic power house of Belgium. One the downside of this development is that it caused enormous pollution, which gave this region its name Pays Noir (“Black Country”).  After the industrial decline in the second half of the 19th century and rampant political corruption the city is still a black spot on the national map and has become a paradise for urban explorers. 

What I saw is a city with different faces. Beside the post-industrial ‘tristesse’ I discovered modern buildings and renovated monuments like the Charleroi-South Train Station or the Quai Paul Verlaine. The city has so much potential and I only hope that more people will take advantage of it. I also wish that creative people and companies from Brussel or Antwerpen would move to the abandoned places. Here are my first photos that I took before heading to the sites that I actually came for.

Laminoir n° 380​

My first discovery was a more than 600 meters long rolling mill (laminoir n° 380) in Montignies-Sur-Sambre. It was quite a puzzle to find information about this building on the internet. I finally did find most of the information on a company website dealing with the decontamination of contaminated sites and landfills :).

The building has been a training station, various workshops of the metallurgical company Hainaut-Sambre, then, between 1963 and 1987, the rolling mill No. 380 of this company. From 1987 until 1999, the site was occupied by BOMA, which set up a centre for the recovery and recovery of waste from the steel, glass and food industries. Once these activities ended, the site remained abandoned and it still is today. The outdoor grounds as well as the rolling mill are still heavily cluttered by waste (refractory bricks, ash, etc.).

The number in “Laminoir n° 380” indicates the raw diameter of the rolled steel cylinders. The steel was heated to 1300° (oven) and them formed into medium profiles of the format I, U, H or L.

Remise Monceau

The second adventure was an abandoned train depot or a “locomotive cemetery” in Monceau close to Roux, and several kilometres north east of Charleroi. The workshops at Remise Monceau are a former SNCB locomotive traction maintenance depot built after WWII and finally closed in 2000.  Unfortunately, all of the rusting locomotives were removed in 2010. Nevertheless, it was an exciting experience since I was on my own during the “visit”.  So, I walked through a hole in the wall into a huge empty hall. What a spooky scenery was laid out in front of me!

Amicale Solvay à Couillet​

On the way to Laminoir n° 380 I passed by an old building and I knew that I have to come back to take some images. The building was built in 1937-1939 by the architect Eléazar Cozac (1893-1977) for the Company Solvay and is an exact copy of the Casino in Jemeppe-sur-Sambre. The building made space for a swimming pool, a theater and a restaurant used by the Solvay staff. It was later opened to the public and remained the property of Solvay until 1994  In 1998, the public pool was decommissioned and it began its long process of decay. In 2000, however, the building was classified as a Walloon Heritage Site. According to the local television station ”TELESAMBRE” an article states that two private ‘personnes’ acquired the Solvay building for 325,000 euros. The iconic construction of Couillet seems to be secured. But the rehabilitation of the site has been delayed and delayed…

Unfortunately I could not go into the building. The surrounding area was completely blocked by a high fence and under camera surveillance. This should have not hindered a real Urbex, but I am a beginner.