Ecole Provinciale Des Métiers
THE ABANDONED SCHOOL IN BELGIUM
In 1910 the ‘Ecole Provinciale Des Métiers’ was built in Waterloo. It was a farm school and later a technical school. The buildings were abandoned in 2007 and eventually reconverted in 2015.
Initially it was a farm school for disabled children. The buildings were designed by architect Fernand Bodson, assisted by Théodore Clément. The pavilions were designed to accommodate sixty children.
People chose the town of Waterloo for its country life, giving children close contact with nature. They opened the school in 1926, much later because of the First World War. From 1926 until 1960, the school focused on farming. They also taught future shoemakers and tailors. In 1965, it became a technical school. Students learned professions like carpentry, printing, welding, and cooking.
They eventually closed the school down in 2007. The city assigned the 45 students to schools in other towns, such as Nivelles. People also knew the school as the Labyrinth School because of its long hallways. They partly demolished it in 2012. The protected buildings were transformed into apartments for senior citizens in 2015. I visited the abandoned school in 2012.
