Borgoumont Sanatorium

In Borgemount near Stoumont in the Belgian Ardennes stands this old Sanatorium, also known as Sanitorium de Basil. It was built in 1900 by the director of the bacteriological laboratory of the province of Liège, Ernest Malvoz, to care for tuberculosis patients. Patients have been staying there since 1903.
At that time, there was no treatment for tuberculosis. Weakened children were admitted to a preventorium to gain strength, in the hope that they would recover (which was usually the case). A preventorium differs in that respect from a sanatorium in that there is still hope for recovery.
In a sanatorium, adults were admitted who already showed clear signs of the disease. Recovery was actually no longer possible; one could only slow down the progression of the disease. The bones and lungs were affected by the microbe.

It was one of the first institutions built in Belgium. Liège was then an industrial city, and the sick were "banished" and sent to the countryside.

During that period, institutions were built in various countries. They were always located far from the population to prevent contamination (further spread of the disease). In the 1950s, new cases of tuberculosis declined thanks to the use of antibiotics.

Most institutions closed in the 1960s and 70s or sought a different target group. Due to air pollution resulting from the reconstruction after World War II (coke plants, blast furnaces, etc.), many children had asthma, and the remaining centers specialized in the treatment of asthma.

The sanatorium has a typical shape with large sun balconies and dormitories for the patients. On the ground floor, there is a kitchen and a swimming pool. The staff usually slept in rooms under the roof.

After the sanatorium era, the building was used for a while as a rest and nursing home, but a more modern RVT was built lower down the road that better meets the needs. The building was used from 2010 to 2013 for asylum seekers. It was closed in 2012 due to the enormous costs, including heating.

This impressive building, approximately 150 meters long, is built in a clearing in the forest at an altitude of 420 meters. It faces south for optimal use of light, sun, and warmth, and the architecture refers to the grandeur of German spa hotels.

Willem Vandenameele