🔒 Antwerp prison

Antwerp prison is a nineteenth-century prison complex located at Begijnenstraat in the port city of Antwerp, Belgium. Built in the 1850s to plans by architect Joseph Jonas Dumont as part of Édouard Ducpétiaux’s modernisation of the Belgian penal system, it remains in use as Antwerp’s principal remand facility. The star-shaped complex combines Neo-Romanesque architecture with a panopticon layout inspired by London’s Pentonville model. During the Second World War several prominent collaborators and nationalists were held and deported from the prison. Chronic overcrowding and infrastructure problems have drawn criticism in the 21st century, leading to plans for a replacement facility.