Clinique Maternité
THE ABANDONED HOSPITAL IN FRANCE
The ‘Clinique Maternité’ in Avesnes-sur-Helpe is an abandoned maternity clinic. It is situated nearby the Belgian border along the river Helpe Majeure, a tributary of the river Sambre.
This hospital was abandoned many years ago. In fact, this building was part of a bigger hospital site. During my visit, most of the other hospital buildings are already reconverted into apartments or demolished.
The maternity clinic, and also a neighboring brewery, were built on the lower side of the city along the river Helpe. Because of the risk of a flooding, it is not allowed to reconvert the old hospital to apartments. But the protected status of the building also doesn’t allow its demolition. As a result, the windows are bricked and the building is awaiting an unsure future. These photos of ‘Clinique Maternité’ were taken in 2011 during my road trip through France.
