Urban exploration - The abandoned hospital in Jumet

Here is an urbex exploration of a former abandoned hospital: the Jumet Civil Hospital in Belgium. These photos date back to 2005.

This former hospital was abandoned in 2003, primarily due to the noise pollution from the Charleroi-Bierset airport. An immense building, it requires hours to explore. Most of the rooms are empty, with very few medical remains left behind. The police regularly came here to conduct training exercises with blank rounds. On the weekends, scrap metal hunters and looters take over. Some scavengers carry bullets, and they aren't blanks. I don't know what else to say except that it is totally trashed, smashed, broken-down, and massacred. Armies of vandals have come to ravage every single square inch. There is nothing left intact inside. The building was demolished in 2007.

To delve deeper into the details, the history of the former Jumet Civil Hospital is closely linked to the evolution of the commune of Jumet, which became a district of the city of Charleroi in 1977. Its origins date back to the late 19th century, a time when the need for local hospital infrastructure became apparent to meet the needs of a growing population, driven largely by the region's industrial development.

Initially founded in 1911 under the leadership of Jean-Baptiste Ledoux, the establishment was designed to be a hospice—a place of refuge for the elderly and the destitute, in keeping with the social vision of the era. Over time, it evolved into a true civil hospital, offering a wider range of medical services. Its role grew throughout the 20th century, becoming a major healthcare center for the residents of Jumet and the surrounding areas, managing maternity wards, surgical departments, and various consultations.

After World War II, the hospital continued to modernize, but it eventually faced the challenges of hospital service rationalization in Belgium. As part of a healthcare reorganization, it was decided to concentrate services into larger, more efficient structures. Consequently, the former Jumet Civil Hospital gradually lost its primary functions, specialized in other fields, and was eventually decommissioned.

The issue of noise pollution was a major factor. Located directly under the Gosselies flight paths, the noise was intense. Today, the building has been completely razed and replaced by the Trafic Jumet and Lunch Garden Jumet. As we were leaving, one or more visitors were arriving to take our place—but they were armed with an axe or something similar.