In Abandoned, Europe / By Tom / 26 August 2013

(All images by Martin Vaissie Pictures (MartinVaissie.com, MVPrints, Pheizy), all rights reserved)

Standing abandoned on the banks of the Meuse river in Liege, Université du Val Benoît takes its name from a Cistercian abbey that was damaged during the ‘Happy Revolution’ of 1789-1791 and destroyed during World War Two. The decaying modernist buildings that occupy the site today were constructed between 1930 and 1965, part of an institution that once produced some of the finest mathematicians in Belgium. The abandoned university buildings have been a mecca for urban explorers since they were vacated in 2005. But a master-plan is in place to rehabilitate the modernist ruins by 2015. Some buildings have already been overhauled for use as light industry, office and co-working space, while the grounds are set to be transformed into an urban park alongside housing and retail. Want more? Explore 9 Abandoned Schools and Universities here.

(Keep reading – explore 5 Pillars of the Abandoned World & 20 Abandoned Mansions)

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