Globally maligned metropolis discovers charm in its neglected state

An urban explorer captures the essence of Charleroi's industrial past through photographs taken in the warehouse of an abandoned steel plant in southern Belgium on February 9, 2026, revealing a city that still bears the scars of its working-class history.

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Charleroi, once a major industrial city of the coal industry, now stands as a testament to the consequences of capitalism, with its abandoned factories telling the story of a system that invests, exploits, and then withdraws, leaving behind ruins for urban explorers to discover.

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Belgian artist Nicolas Buissart began leading tours of Charleroi as a joke after a newspaper in the Netherlands named his city the ugliest in the world, but 15 years later, he is still showcasing the city's dilapidated factories and warehouses to visitors seeking beauty in the remnants of its industrial past.

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Buissart notes that the surrounding French-speaking region of Wallonia was once prosperous, but the problem with capitalism is that it leaves behind a significant amount of waste, which is precisely what draws visitors to Charleroi, including a group of 12 pensioners from the northern French city of Lille.

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Urban exploration, or "urbex," has evolved into a global movement over the past two decades, attracting amateur photographers, selfie takers, and thrill seekers from cities like Berlin and Detroit to explore haunting complexes with shattered windows and moulded ceilings.

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Buissart's "city safari" takes visitors up close to the slag heaps and giant ruins of steel and concrete that shape Charleroi's landscape, offering a unique aesthetic that Veronique Moussu, a member of the Lille expedition, finds particularly appealing.

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Moussu, who is on her second visit to Charleroi in four years, appreciates the way the play of light, shadows, and street art enhance these abandoned spaces, making them a fascinating destination for urban explorers.

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Charleroi was once a coal-mining hub, but more than 40 years after the last pit shut down, the city is now mainly known for its airport, a major European hub for low-cost airline Ryanair.

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Despite being considered "dead" by some, Charleroi's abandoned industrial sites have become an attractive destination for tourists, with Buissart's tour taking visitors to an abandoned 1930s swimming and leisure complex that has become a playground for graffiti artists.

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The "Solvay Pool" was built by a Belgian industrialist to provide workers with relaxation and entertainment near a 19th-century manufacturing site for soda ash that is no more, and today, the pool's old roof no longer holds water, and the tiled floor is a cracked mess.

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Buissart, a 46-year-old former design student, provides safety instructions as he guides visitors inside the Solvay Pool, giving them half an hour to explore and snap photos, before moving on to the next stop on the route, a massive warehouse that was once used for treating stainless steel sheets.

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The warehouse, once owned by steel giant ArcelorMittal, has been closed for about 15 years, and as Pascale Dufour-Floor, a member of the tour group, notes, it is a poignant reminder of the workers who once toiled there, bringing the site to life before it was abandoned and left to decay.

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Tourism promoters are now seeking to turn these vestiges of a bygone era into an asset, with Valerie Demanet, director of the Charleroi Tourist Office, stating that this heritage is what sets Charleroi apart and attracts tourists to the city.