Cemetery of the Insane, Belgium Dec '13

Tucked away in the middle of nowhere in Belgium is a cemetery which was exclusively used to bury patients from a nearby Asylum. Patients were buried here up until the cemetery was abandoned in the mid 1980s, with almost all the graves marked only with a simple concrete or wrought iron cross carrying a small plaque with the patient's name, date of birth and date of death.

A very peaceful, sobering place to wander round.

























More here http://www.flickr.com/photos/mookie427/sets/72157638467038885/

You've really caught the atmosphere of this place, especially the 2nd and 4th pictures. I wonder what kind of lives these people had?
Looks like it's not visited by relatives either which adds to the sadness.

Beautiful. Thank you.

What an amazing place, looks very quiet and peaceful.

Thats different thank you.

quite solemn and thought provoking, looks like someone looks after the place to stop it getting overgrown.
Thanks for posting

Amazing, sobering stuff. Fantastic photos too, you really get a feel for the place.
Thanks for sharing.

Nice one Mookster it also looks quite well kept iff abandoned

Nicely done mate, not seen this before.

imagine this with todays fog!! lovely shots mate

I think the grass is mown from time to time but other than that it's left as is, you can tell it's looked after by someone at least as there is a distinct lack of the general urbexer detritus like empty cans of Relentless....

gigi said:

imagine this with todays fog!! lovely shots mate

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Fog, night, good lighting!!!

I would have to tread carefully though, really don't like stepping on peoples graves! Have to say sorry if I do.

tumble1 said:

Looks like it's not visited by relatives either which adds to the sadness.

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You will find as you wander around, that there are fairly fresh plants placed at the foot of some crosses and the more formal headstones erected by families of the deceased inmates. Over the last twenty years there appears to have been a rather worrying form of 'vandalism' taking place here. Pointed out to me by a Belgium friend who is compiling a book on burial grounds associated with asylums, we first thought that the defacement on the name plaques of some of the more recent burials was due to weathering. Unfortunately it appears that some of the obliterations may have been deliberate. The inhabitants of this place suffered a horrible anonymous existence when they were alive, why somebody should make some of them suffer the same fate in death is beyond our comprehension.

What a great place and great shots if it were not for people like yourself we would never get to see this thanks. At least they have markers to show they once lived loved the crosses.

That tombstone in the 6th picture looks very futuristic. Great shots!

Beautiful, the way the light is falling in that last photo is really interesting

Captured the atmosphere superbly. You can feel the sadness of the place. Quite moving.

this is amazing wow thanks ben....

Love the fourth and last ones. The feeling from these photos is intense; it would be cool to experience walking through there