Halloween out of season? At Bruxelles Secrète, we recently came across a fascinating abandoned hotel (reminiscent of many a horror movie mansion). Discover the mysteries of the Kosmos Hotel in Heuvelland…
A former vacation park turned… creepy
Built at the dawn of the Second World War, in 1934, the Hotel Kosmos (“Vakantiepark Hotel Kosmos”) in Heuvelland is a striking example of an abandoned site now dedicated to urban exploration. Located around 1h30 by car from Brussels (and 30 minutes from Lille), this abandoned former vacation park offers some absolutely stunning and – let’s face it – slightly creepy shots…
19th century origins
But the origins of the Kosmos Hotel – and, more generally, Heuvelland’s status as a tourist area – actually go back further than 1934. In 1889, a panoramic tower emerged on a hill in the Westoutre district of Heuvelland. Destroyed in WW1, it was later rebuilt. And on a nearby hill (Dranoutre, another district of the town), the idea of a hotel-restaurant also began to take shape.
To attract tourists
In 1934, the Hotel Kosmos was built to attract more tourists to this quiet area of western Belgium, hidden away not far from Lille. In the 1960s, an open-air swimming pool was built opposite the hotel. In the 1980s, in response to its growing popularity (and the many school trips to this small town in the flat country), Hotel Kosmos began offering a youth hostel service, and soon became a genuine family vacation park.
Abandoned
This new success would not last more than two decades.In 2002, the Kosmos Hotel and all its attractions were closed due to new safety regulations. The owner tried to salvage – literally – the furniture by proposing a renovation project, but to no avail. The hotel had already acquired protected monument status, and its exteriors were gradually abandoned and demolished. Today, its photos still bear witness to the magnificence (albeit outdated and, let’s face it, sometimes slightly frightening) of its past.