Verviers Prison
In the past, detainees were transferred either to Liège or the Château de Franchimont, where they served their sentences. According to the orders received, the mayor was to provide the prison at his own expense. Depresseux, mayor from 1674 to 1688, rented a house near his home. It served as a prison until the mid-18th century. In March 1745, the deputy governor of the Marquis P. de Stembert, also devoted to Verviers, complained to the duke about the deplorable condition of the prison. Escapes were frequent there. He asked the SA to notify the city to repair or build a new one. The above complaint was forwarded to the magistrate for consideration. The latter replied that the city had never been obliged to provide a prison and begged the prince to relieve it of such a "burden, from which it had never been burdened with the release of local officers." The deputy governor insisted. We came to an agreement: the city would provide the prison and enjoy the associated agricultural rights. The convention was ratified by the prince on January 13, 1746. The magistrate placed the prison in the right wing of the Porte de Heusy and appointed a caretaker. When the Porte de Heusy was demolished in 1863, the prison was moved to the gardens of the Carmelite convent on Place du Palais. Between 1850 and 1853, the first courthouse was built according to plans by architect Jos Dumont (1811-1859) on the site of the convent and gardens of the former Carmelites at a place called: Les Prayes, near the Porte de Heusy. A few months later, construction of a prison adjacent to the palace was completed. But in front of the future Palais de Justice, it was first necessary to cover the ditch through which a train bound for Germany had been passing since October 15, 1843. A tunnel was built, whose vault became the Place du Palais (this tunnel was raised in 1964 to allow for the electrification of the railroad). The new prison, which was inaugurated in 1895 , has undergone extensive renovations over the past two decades. In 1998, the kitchen was extensively renovated to provide it with modern equipment. The building is depicted in a Y-shape, with the vertical beam occupied by administrative rooms and the two branches being the cells where convicts are housed. Built between 1890 and 1893 according to the plans of architect van der Heggen, it featured a beautiful architectural effect, modern design and was considered one of the best of its kind in our country. Source: verviers-ville-lainuere.blogspot.com
