The ancien prison Tuchthuis in Vilvoorde near Brussels, Belgium is being restorated. This was the biggest Belgian prison which opened in 1779. It was also used during the World War II by the German forces. All the cells have been sealed by walls in the 1950s and have just been opened for the first time. A lot of drawings, texts and carvings remain since then, people writing to their families, counting days, playing ship battles (with the help of grids) or just writing up their name and dates of imprisonment. Most of what can be read is dated between 1941 and 1947. People write mostly in French, but sometimes in German, Dutch and one person, even in Greek. This photo shows a carving of a German cross with "Hitler" and a svastika pencil drawing inside it.

2007-03-31 19:15:50 • 1 Comments - Add new comment here