Brussels in prisons: penitentiary heritage in question

Behind their monumental facade, the prisons of Saint-Gilles and Forest blend into the neighborhoods that surround them. In 2022, the mega-prison ("penitentiary village") of Haren emerged from the ground on the margins of the city. Although initially designed to replace the dilapidated prisons of Forest and Saint-Gilles, this new prison did not have the expected effect on prison inflation. Forest closed but Saint-Gilles remained open for lack of other places to move the detainees. The ARAU sets out to meet the history of the construction of these cellular prisons that accompanied the evolution of neighborhoods particularly rich in heritage and urban perspectives. Today, the integration of this unique penitentiary heritage raises the question of connections with the neighborhoods, not always obvious: how will the conversion of nearly 10 hectares allow for the creation of new links with the city without distorting the identity and memory of these extraordinary historical complexes?