Villa Home Flor Mielants
THE ABANDONED SCHOOL IN BELGIUM
Villa Home Flor Mielants was an abandoned childcare center in Kapellen, a village in the Antwerp area of Belgium. The building stood empty for many years before it was demolished in 2013.
The villa was built in 1915 in a cottage style. In 1952, the Antwerp municipality bought the house. They added new wings on the east, west, and south sides. This made the building much bigger. After that, it was used as a schoolkolonie. This Dutch word means a place for rest and education, especially for children who needed extra care. In Kapellen, it became the nursery department of the city’s childcare center.
The school was named after Joseph Florent Joannes Mielants Sr. (1887–1944). He was a Belgian teacher and writer. Mielants was also the co-founder of the non-profit organization Kindervreugd.
For many years, children stayed here for education, care, and recovery. But the building slowly became outdated. The children left in 1992, and the place fell silent.
Inside, I found signs of the past everywhere. The walls still had Disney posters, faded but full of color. In the classrooms, I discovered old cassette tapes and slide projectors. These slides were once used as “movies” for the children. There were no DVDs or CDs here – it felt like stepping back in time.
In 2013, Villa Home Flor Mielants was demolished. A modern building now stands on the site. When I visited in 2008, the school had already been abandoned for 16 years. Nature started to take over the playground and garden. Paint peeled from the walls, and broken windows let in rain and wind. You can follow this link to see more abandoned boarding schools across Europe.
