Inside world's 'ugliest' city with horrific past full of abandoned buildings

21 July 2023 , 14:45

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Charleroi in Belgium has been handed an unenviable title (Image: Getty Images)

Abandoned buildings are all that's left of one city with a horrific past.

Charleroi in Belgium was once the country's mining capital before years of tragic events lead to it being left to rot.

Now voted the world's ugliest city, it's known for one of the worst mining disasters in history as well as being the home of a chilling serial killer.

Back in 1956, 262 miners were killed after a fire broke out in one of the coal mine shafts.

The city is also famous for being home to serial killer and prolific paedophile Marc Dutroux.

Spooky abandoned house in woods left full of creepy dolls and forgotten dentures

262 people died in a mining disaster in 1956 (Getty Images)

The twisted killer kept his victims chained up in a dungeon, earning him the nickname 'Le Monstre' - The Monster.

He killed 11 people and abducted and tortured children before he was locked behind bars for life in 2004.

Earlier this year demolition of the property where he housed his victims began to reportedly make way for a garden in memory of the victims.

Since 2009 the house has been covered up with a mural showing a child flying a kite on a beach.

Factories lie abandoned in the city (Getty Images)

And now, the city - home to 417,000 people - has become known for its crime and deprivation with employment figures as high as 20 percent.

During a feature on the city, cultural anthropologist and war photographer Teun Voeten said: "Drug users openly shoot up heroin in vacant buildings, while prostitutes ply their trade under overpasses on street corners just a few streets from the town hall."

However, its title of the ugliest city in the world has done wonders for tourism.

Resident and artists Nicolas Buissart, who runs tours around the city, told The Sun it was the "perfect marketing opportunity".

He said: "If you are seen as an ugly city, you might as well be 'the ugliest'."

Mr Buissart runs Charleroi Adventure which reportedly has hundreds of people wanting a tour ranging from school kids to stag dos.

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