Duk’Eau
THE ABANDONED BOTTLING PLANT
In 1957 the source for Duk’Eau bottled mineral water was discovered. Not much later they built this bottle plant besides the source. The factory was abandoned when it was irreparable damaged. Eventually, the building was demolished after the ground was sold.
It was in 1957 that Mr. Dukerts, an industrialist from Verviers, discovered a spring in his property located near the city Francorchamps, at a place called Les Favanges. The factory site was built very close to the Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps.
In 1980 the plant bottled 18 thousand bottles of mineral water a day. Later, the flourishing company was sold to Iranian businessmen Abbas Bayat, then chairman of football club Sporting Charleroi. The wealthy investor was also owner of another five beverage plants.
Collapsed roof
During a cold winter in 2011, the roof of the factory hall collapsed under the thick layer of snow. Obviously, the roof was not built to carry this weight. There was no compensation from the insurance company. So without money to restore the factory to its original state, it became an abandoned ruin. Furthermore, owner Abbas Bayat is declared bankrupt in 2016.
The collapsed Duk’Eau factory was eventually demolished in 2018. It was replaced two years later by a factory producing luxury sockets and switches. I took these photos of Duk’Eau in 2017, shortly before the building was demolished. More drink related abandonments can be found here.
